Slight Twist of Fate
by Dee31
Summary: After New Year’s Eve, Gabriella moves to New Mexico and starts her life over again at West High while she still has a certain boy on her mind, Troy. School rivalries, romance, drama, and a secret identity... What would high school be without it?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or places created by the High School Musical franchise or by Disney!

Chapter 1

"Mom, I really don't want to be here," complained Gabriella Montez, a shorter than average seventeen year old girl with wavy dark brown hair and brown eyes, as she and her mother, Annette Montez, walked into the halls of West High. Gabriella eyed the mural of the Knights up on the wall opposite of the office and sighed. "Now I'm a Knight, how very ironic. I used to be a Tiger, Warrior, Mariner, and a Beaver."

"Hey, at least no one can say you don't have school spirit," joked her mother, realizing her attempt failed to cheer up her daughter. "I know you're going to do great here, and I promise, no more moving."

"You said that last time Mom," reminded Gabriella. "And look at us now, here in Albuquerque, New Mexico, far, far away from my friends in South Carolina."

"But remember, you have a car now, as was part of our deal," stated Annette. "You know why we had to move and I'm sorry but it was out of my control."

"I know, and I am excited to have the car, especially with a new license and all but this moving really sucks. Now I'm the new girl all over again," whined Gabriella. "Ugh, and I have to go the Department of Motor Vehicles to change my South Carolina license for a New Mexico one. I guess I'll do that after school since I don't have any friends."

Annette just shook her head at her daughter. "You will in time sweet daughter of mine. Now, enough stalling. We need to get you registered so you can start your first day here at West High on time."

Gabriella let out one last sigh. "All right," agreed Gabriella as the mother and daughter pair walked into the office and filled out the necessary paperwork to get Gabriella registered and into the honors classes that were offered.

After everything was completed, Gabriella was introduced to the principal, Principal Martin, before given a map of West High with little markings as to where all her classes her. 'Right, this will be easy, sure,' she thought to herself with a groan, feeling a pinch on her arm immediately from her mom. "Mom!"

"Come on now Gabriella, no complaining. Where did my optimistic daughter go?" asked Annette.

"She's back in South Carolina, having the time of her life with the friends she made there," answered Gabriella.

Annette gave her daughter a stern look. "Enough Gabriella! How about this? I make you a solid promise that there will be no more moving or interference from me until you graduate, as long as nothing else happens? You'll have a year and a half here to be a West High Knight. Would that make you happy enough to ditch the attitude?"

"A solid promise? You'll sign an agreement that I draft up when I get home that I can hold you to, no backing out whatsoever?" pushed Gabriella.

"Well I think a written agreement is a bit much but if that will make you happy, yes. I'll talk to the appropriate people and make sure it is clear with them as well," answered Annette.

"DEAL!" exclaimed Gabriella, a genuine smile gracing her lips for the first time in days.

"Good, now get going, I don't want you being late for your first day of classes!" replied Annette, a smile gracing her face as her daughter hugged her goodbye before darting into the halls filled with students.

'According to the map, first period should be down this corridor, fifth door on the right,' she thought to herself as she eyed the map while also looking at the many doors on the wall. When she found the room finally, she ducked into the room between two tall guys who were in the doorway just talking, letterman jackets on with the school's emblem patched onto their leather sleeves. Gabriella found the teacher at the desk and handed him the first of six slips of paper she had to inform the teacher she was a new student and addition to the class.

Mr. Eckman took the paper from her and gave her a welcoming smile. "Welcome to West High Miss Montez and to Honors English, Junior year. I'm assuming you know this class is more accelerated than regular Junior English classes and that the expectations I have are of course higher as well."

"Yes sir," replied Gabriella.

"Good, then I openly welcome you. I can already tell you will be a great addition to this bunch. Why don't you have a seat next to Miss Grainger over there? She's the one in the third row with the red sweater," said Mr. Eckman, gesturing over to the girl he described before going to his computer and adding in Gabriella's information.

Gabriella slowly made her way over to the empty seat he indicated and sat down, nerves still aflutter in her stomach. She pulled out a notebook and labeled it with Honors English on the cover and sat there, watching the students interact around her.

"Are you new here?" asked the girl in the red sweater. "I haven't seen you around before."

"Yeah, I just moved from South Carolina," answered Gabriella. "I'm Gabriella by the way."

"Tessa, nice to meet you," replied the brunette girl. "Funny, you don't have a Southern accent, no offense."

"None taken," responded Gabriella with a smile. "I've moved around several times in the past and South Carolina was only one stop for my family unfortunately. I didn't have the time to really pick up the drawl on a normal basis but I can mimic it if I think about it."

Tessa grinned. "Able to copy voices and drawls, that's a talent right there Gabriella. I can tell I'm going to like having you around. What does your schedule look like?"

Gabriella dug in her bag and pulled out the piece of paper and handed it over to the brunette sitting next to her. "What do you think?"

"I think you are completely suicidal with those honors and A.P. classes, just like me. We must be kindred souls," teased Tessa. "I have this period and then the next two classes with you, then lunch, and then the last period of the day. I can show you around if you want."

"That would be great!" exclaimed Gabriella, feeling in her gut that this girl next to her would prove to be a good friend as time went on.

The bell rang and soon the room was filled with students who were sitting in their assigned seats but were still chatting as the first ten minutes were used for announcements. Once announcements were finished, Mr. Eckman gave the students the rest of the ten minutes to chat since it was the first day back from winter break and he was feeling generous. Tessa and Gabriella turned towards each other to continue to talk when Tessa let out a little laugh, startling Gabriella.

"What's so funny?" asked Gabriella, nervous Tessa had found something funny about her.

Tessa looked over Gabriella's shoulder again and then back at her new friend. "Are you into jocks by any chance?"

"Huh?"

"Are you attracted to tall, muscular, and popular guys who play sports for their high school? If so, I'd say today was your lucky day. Our basketball captain Riley Sutton is checking you out as we speak," stated Tessa.

Gabriella glanced over in the direction Tessa mentioned and felt herself blush as she saw that she was right, a guy with spiked black hair and amazing brown eyes was looking her way and smiled, showing off his perfectly straight and white teeth, when he saw her looking back at him. "Confident isn't he?" murmured Gabriella, making Tessa laugh.

"You could say that. Riley has been known to be the ladies' man since he was eight," responded Tessa. "You may be his latest victim if he has any say in the matter it looks like."

"Too bad for him then, I'm not really looking at the moment," replied Gabriella, turning her attention back to Tessa, trying to ignore the feeling of Riley still looking at her.

"Boyfriend back in South Carolina?"

"No, no boyfriend. It's silly actually but I met this guy on New Year's at this ski lodge my mom took me to before we started moving and I haven't been able to stop thinking of him since. Sad thing is, I haven't heard from him since then and I don't know where he lives even."

"Ah, a hopeless romantic," commented Tessa with a smile. "You really are getting more and more interesting by the second Gabriella. Do you have his number?"

"Yes, we exchanged them but I haven't had the courage to call him," answered Gabriella truthfully, realizing suddenly how out of character she was behaving with this girl. 'I really must trust this connection I feel with Tessa to be this open with her.'

Tessa grinned, an idea forming in her head. Before she could share though, Mr. Eckman called for the attention of the class and started his lecture on the winter break's reading of _The Great Gatsby_. 'Lucky for me, I've already read that,' thought Gabriella as she turned her attention back to the teacher and started copying down his notes.

---

'That wasn't too bad, it could have been a lot worse,' thought Gabriella to herself as she placed the notebooks she didn't need back into her locker while she grabbed those she did and her textbooks. She had just finished zipping her backpack up when she felt a presence leaning right next to her.

"Gabriella, after having some classes together, I wanted to introduce myself to you. I'm Riley Sutton," said the guy who had been staring at Gabriella in first period, as well as in third period.

Gabriella tried her best to place a smile on her face. "Nice to officially meet you Riley. Gabriella Montez, but I think you figured that out already."

"Well, I do try to get to know what I can about the most beautiful girl at West. So, what does a guy have to do to get a chance to really figure out what makes you tick?"

"He has to be a friend," responded Gabriella with a smile. "I'm actually not on the market for anything more."

Riley's smile faltered for a moment before recovering. "I can do that. So you have a boyfriend already then?"

"Nope," answered Gabriella simply.

"A girlfriend?" questioned Riley, an excited look in his eyes.

Gabriella was about to answer when she felt an arm encircle her waist and saw Tessa grinning back at her. Riley eyed the two and chuckled. "Find something funny Riley?" challenged Tessa.

"No, not at all Tessa. See you around Gabriella," said Riley before he turned and walked down the hall and around the corner.

As soon as he was gone, Tessa and Gabriella both burst into laughter. "Are you serious? Did we just imply to the basketball captain we were a couple?" asked Gabriella.

"Apparently so, I had to do something to get him to back off of you. He wouldn't have left your side without a date otherwise. Don't worry, he'll realize we were playing him in a few days and he'll be back by your side. Then I'll come up with a new plan," replied Tessa. "Speaking of plan, give me your cell phone."

"Why?"

"I want to program my number in for you," replied Tessa, knowing she planned on doing something else right after as well.

Gabriella handed her phone over to Tessa who punched in her name, number, and her address in the notes. She saved it and then started scrolling through the address book. "So Gabriella, what was the name of the guy you met on New Year's?"

"Troy, why?" answered Gabriella absently as she examined her locker to see how else she could spruce it up a little as the white paint was a bit depressing being all chipped and what not.

"Oh, I just wanted to know who to call," replied Tessa with a grin, immediately getting a shocked and panicked look from Gabriella. Gabriella tried grabbing for the cell but Tessa had already pushed send and was listening to the ring while keeping the cell phone out of Gabriella's grasp. Unfortunately, the call went to voicemail so Tessa hung up, relenting and returning the phone back in Gabriella's possession.

"I can't believe you did that! Did he answer?" asked Gabriella, tucking her cell phone back in her pocket.

"Nope, got voicemail so I hung up. Relax Gabriella, I'm just trying to help you out with a guy that seems to have you infatuated with only knowledge of the fact that he sings well and is cute, at least from what you said at lunch," returned Tessa. "Don't worry, I'll work it out for you, I'm good at stuff like that."

"Oh boy, what did I get myself into with you as a new friend here?" teased Gabriella, still a bit embarrassed by what could have happened if Troy had answered the phone.

"You got yourself an amazing lifelong best friend who will teach you have to have backbone if it's the last thing I do," replied Tessa with a grin.

---

Alicia Covina, a petite girl with black straight hair that came down to her shoulders, heard her boyfriend's cell phone go off on the couch where he left it before he went into the kitchen of her house to get a snack. Curious, Alicia leaned over and saw a picture of a pretty Hispanic girl appear on the phone. 'Now who could that be? Definitely not a relative,' thought Alicia before she got an idea and picked up the phone. She hit the ignore button and smiled satisfied as the ringing stopped, followed by a single beep indicating that there was a missed call. She went into the phone's call history and deleted the entry, not knowing who it was but the fact that there was no message left meant that the girl was probably some loose girl who wanted her man. 'Well, that's not going to happen. Troy Bolton is all mine since before winter break and it will stay that way if I have anything to do with it.'

"Alicia, was that my phone?" called out a brown haired teenage boy with blue eyes that all the girls found hard to not get lost in.

"No Troy, it was mine," answered Alicia, smiling at how easy her lie was.

Troy Bolton entered the room and eyed his girlfriend of a month. "Really? It sounded like my ringtone, not yours."

"Troy, why would I lie about a simple call? It's not like you have any other girlfriends I need to worry about right?" replied Alicia.

Troy rubbed the back of his neck a little, a sign that he was uncomfortable, before he nodded. "Yeah, no other girlfriends," said Troy before he thought, 'But there is a girl that took my breath away over break that I have not intentions of telling you about, you'd get too jealous.'

"Well good. Now come here Troy, I'm lonely here on the couch."

He saw that seductive smile appear on her face again and felt no pull to her, not like it was before break, before he met that one girl who captured his thoughts almost 24/7 these days. 'Gabriella,' he thought, a dreamy smile surfacing on his lips at just the thought of her.

"I know I'm hot but instead of having that smile on your face, why don't you come here and use them?" invited Alicia.

Troy shook his head and inwardly groaned, realizing that he must have slipped up and shown some of the emotions on his face a second ago. "Alicia, I better get going. You know my dad is going to kill me if I'm late for tonight's game, especially if he finds out I was at your house."

Alicia got up from the couch and sauntered over to him before wrapping her hands around his neck, bringing him down to meet her lips. After pulling away, she smiled seductively up at him. "I know your game is important, but is it as important as me? After all, I could bring you so much more pleasure than a simple basketball can."

Troy suppressed his instinct to flee, as well as the sigh he felt coming. "Alicia, you know how important basketball is to me and to my dad. I have to go. I'll see you later okay?"

He reached up and pulled her hands apart from behind his neck, forcing her to let go of him. Troy then walked over and picked up his backpack before walking to the front door, knowing if he stalled any longer he would be late.

"Bye Troy!" called out Alicia to which he responded with a wave before he finally left her house, letting out the long awaited sigh.

'What am I going to do with her? Alicia was such a sweet girl when we first started going out but now I've got this vixen on my hands that just doesn't do anything for me. Is there something wrong with me? I know all the guys on the basketball team would give anything to have a girl want him like that but for me, there's just something missing,' he thought to himself as Troy started walking back to East High. 'In all fairness, maybe it's because you keep thinking of the girl from New Year's, the girl with a voice of an angel, Gabriella, and how she made you feel in the span of just a few hours or less. If that's true though, why can't you be man enough to actually call her?'

Troy shook his head to clear his thoughts as he heard a honk from right next to him. He turned his head and grinned as he saw his buddies Chad Danforth, Zeke Baylor, and Jason Cross in Jason's car. "Want a lift or are you trying to warm up with this walk?" called out Chad with a grin.

"Sure man, thanks," said Troy before he walked over to the car and got in.

"Off visiting the girlfriend before the game huh?" asked Zeke.

"Yeah but to be honest, I don't know if she'll be my girlfriend for much longer," confessed Troy.

"Not giving you any?" questioned Jason as he started driving again.

Troy shook his head. "That's just it, she's more into that than I am. I just don't feel that attraction with her anymore and she's changed. I'm starting to think she's more like those other girls we stay away from, the ones that just want to date you for popularity."

"Alicia? No way! She has always seemed like the down to earth girl," replied Chad.

"Yeah, I thought so too until after winter break. She's changed man, definitely not the same girl she was before break," answered Troy.

Zeke nodded his head before he placed his right hand on Troy's shoulder. "Well, if you need a wingman for the breakup, we'll be there. Girls can be a bit dramatic when that stuff goes down."

"Thanks Zeke but we'll see. I'm not talking breakup city right now but it is a possibility," replied Troy.

Chad looked back at his best friend from the front seat and saw the confusion on his face. "Hey, it'll work itself out but right now, Captain, we need your head in the game if we're going to finish this season strong before Championships next week. Is your head in the game or do I have to beat these thoughts of Alicia out of you?"

Troy chuckled. "I'd like to see you try but no, you don't need to. The game is what matters now and that's where my head is at, promise."

Chad nodded his approval. "Good! Now Jason, step on it! Coach is going to be pissed if we're late!"

Jason stepped on the gas a little harder and got the four boys into the gym just in time for Coach Bolton to start his speech, giving the four boys a stern looks before they sat down and started listening to what he said along with the rest of the team.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After the fifth store of the morning, Gabriella pulled on Tessa's hand to slow down the pace her new friend was dragging her through the mall at. It was Saturday morning and the girls had left home early to get to the mall at a decent hour to avoid all the other patrons that would soon flood the mall. "Slow down Tessa. This is not a marathon and I'm getting a bit hungry."

Tessa looked back at her friend and rolled her eyes. "Well, I can tell you aren't a speed shopper. Fine, we'll go get a cinnamon roll at the food court, how does that sound? We have to find you a stunning dress though for the masquerade dance next Saturday! It's the biggest dance of the year and the most controversial since it is a dance where East High and West High are both expected to interact and mingle with each other. We never do that unless forced."

"So, East High Wildcats are the nemesis of West High Knights?" asked Gabriella.

"To a degree, yes. I can guarantee you that there will be a lot of tension too because the boys' basketball teams meet the night before in the Championship game, or at least from what I've heard from passing cheerleaders," replied Tessa. "I'm far more interested in meeting Prince Charming at the ball."

Gabriella paid for the two cinnamon rolls in a way to thank Tessa for helping her and the two girls sat down, each taking a bite before continuing their conversation. "So what would you do then if your Prince Charming of the night turned out to be an East High guy?"

Tessa shrugged her shoulders. "I'd date him, see what he was like, and take it from there."

"So it wouldn't bother you at all then that he went to a rival school?"

"No, how cliché with that make me if I did? Would you care if you found someone that night that went to East?"

"Absolutely not," responded Gabriella without a moment of hesitation. "Then again, it's not like I'd date him anyway."

"Because of Mr. New Year's, huh? Seriously Gaby, wait, can I call you that?"

"Sure, doesn't bother me as long as you aren't calling me freaky math girl."

Tessa laughed. "All right, Gaby, as I was saying, if you are this hung up on the guy, maybe we should call him again. What's the harm? You talk to him, you find out he lives in the North Pole, you talk as friends from then on. The worst that could happen is that he be a jerk and hang up on you and then what? I'll tell you what, you'll be free of this hold he's got on you."

"In theory, it all sounds so great the way you say it but I'm still nervous about calling. In some ways, I think I am hesitating because whatever happens on that call could disrupt this dream I have of that night and vanish all these wonderful feelings I'm clinging onto of how he made me feel in such a short period of time. A guy has never made me feel this way before," confessed Gabriella.

Tessa let out a low whistle. "Man, you've got it worse than I thought. We are going to have to do something but right now, since we are both done with our morning snack, we must finish our first mission and get you that dress for Saturday!"

"All right, all right! Man, slave driver!" kidded Gabriella as she got up and dumped her plate and drink in the trash and followed Tessa back out into the mall that was getting more crowded by the second.

At their fourteenth stop, yes Gabriella was counting, this time at a small dress boutique, Gabriella found a few good options and tried them on, modeling for Tessa if she actually liked the way the dress fit her. It wasn't until the seventh dress that Tessa's mouth literally dropped as she saw Gabriella. "That's it! That is so the one!"

"Really?" asked Gabriella as she looked at herself in the three-way mirror again to take in the way the ivory strapless dress hugged her upper body before flowing out into a full ball gown style with pink, yellow, and violet flowers embroidered on the lower half.

"Gabriella, if you don't buy that dress, I'll seriously have to consider getting rid of you as one of my friends," responded Tessa with a smile. "Now go and get changed! You can breathe easy now too, the dress mission is officially over!"

Gabriella grinned at this. "About time!" she called out before she went back into her room and unzipped herself, hanging it back on the hanger and changing back into her jeans and baby-t. She hung the dresses that didn't work out on the rack in the dressing room before she went back and grabbed the winning dress to go pay for it. The line was rather long so she and Tessa kept themselves amused by people watching, a favorite past time of Tessa's that Gabriella was getting addicted to.

"Hey, check out that black haired girl over there sitting on that guy's lap and trying to suck the life out of him by the looks of it," murmured Tessa, drawing Gabriella's attention to the girl and the brown haired guy she was making out with. "Doesn't she know that if she wants dressing room sex that she should be in a dressing room, not the lobby? Although, from the looks from the guy's body language, he's not that into her. Do you see how his arms aren't encircling her? It's like he's just letting her have play with his body but thinking of his math homework or something."

Gabriella laughed. "God Tessa, seriously, where do you come up with this stuff?"

"Just comes to my head, what can I say? Oh look, she's got your dress in her arms too. But I bet she won't buy it because she won't look anywhere near as stunning as you looked."

"Maybe I should get another dress then? If that girl is going to buy it, what if we show up in the same dress?"

"Gaby, honestly, we don't even know if that girl goes to either West or East since I can't properly see her face, plus, you look fantastic in that dress. No way am I letting you not buy it."

The line moved so Gabriella and Tessa moved with it, their view of the couple now being blocked by some clothing racks. "God, how long is this line going to take? We're still tenth in line," moaned Gabriella.

"Yeah, it doesn't help that there's only one cashier," agreed Tessa. An idea formed in her head as to how to keep Gabriella's mind otherwise occupied though. "Gaby, can I see your phone please?"

"Why?" asked Gabriella, suspicion in her voice.

"Because," answered Tessa.

"Because? What are you, four?"

"Do you want a relief of this boredom of standing in line or what?"

Gabriella eyed Tessa carefully before deciding to let her friend have her cell phone, not really sure if that was the smartest thing to do but it seemed like it was the only thing that would get her to shut up. Tessa grinned as she took the phone from her friend and they moved another spot, giving them a view of the once upon a time making out couple. Now, when Gabriella glanced over, she saw just the guy sitting there, a totally bored look on his face as he rested his head against the wall. 'You know, he looks strangely familiar,' she thought, wishing she could see his eyes, which were closed at the moment. 'Naw, Gabriella, you must be imagining things. Who do you know here in New Mexico besides the West High students? He has on an East High varsity jacket, you can't know him.'

She stepped forward with the line, getting blocked again from him, distantly hearing a cell phone go off followed by a masculine voice. Gabriella didn't think anything of it until Tessa excitedly shoved the cell phone into her hand. "What do you want?" she asked, not realizing the phone was connected to the caller.

"Gabriella?" asked a voice through the phone, making Gabriella realize the call was live.

'Oh my God,' she thought, glancing down at the name on the screen and seeing "Troy" on it. Out of nervousness, Gabriella ended the call, glaring at Tessa. "I can't believe you called him!"

"And I can't believe you hung up on him! Gabriella, he was on the phone!" exclaimed Tessa.

Gabriella's ringtone went off and she groaned as she saw Troy's picture on the screen. "Great, now he's wondering why I freaked and hung up on him, I'm going to just ignore it."

Tessa's gaze froze as she looked at the picture of a brown haired guy with nice blue eyes on her friend's cell phone. "Gabriella! Do you know who that is?"

"Umm yeah, that's the guy I met on New Year's, Troy," responded Gabriella, unsure of where Tessa's excitement was coming from.

"Yeah, that Troy, but do you know who he is?" asked Tessa.

"The guy I sang with on New Year's Eve?" answered Gabriella, unsure of where Tessa was going with this.

"That's Troy Bolton! The captain of East High's varsity basketball team and the thorn in Riley's side! Gaby, do you know what this means? Your dream guy from New Year's lives in Albuquerque, here! We could actually make this work!"

All this confused Gabriella. 'But I met Troy at a ski lodge, a long distance away from Albuquerque, how could this be true?'

Her thoughts though were interrupted when the two girls finally reached the cashier, who promptly took the dress from Gabriella's hands and wrapped it up after scanning the price tag. Gabriella absentmindedly handed the cashier her credit card and signed for it, putting the credit card back in her wallet along with the receipt. Seeing Gabriella was now very distracted, Tessa took the dress in its white cover from the cashier and gave her a small smile while she scooted Gabriella over, out of the way for the next person in line.

"Gaby, you all right?" asked Tessa, excitement replaced with concern in her voice. "Gabriella, aren't you even a bit excited that we found your guy?"

Gabriella closed her eyes for a moment, trying to sort out her thoughts when her cell phone went off again. She dared a look and saw that those amazing blue eyes from the picture were staring at her again. 'Oh my God, that guy that looked familiar, was that Troy?' she wondered as she moved to cross the store so she could get a better view of the dressing room again as the ringtone was silenced as the call went to voicemail.

Tessa followed her friend in confusion and nearly bumped into her when she stopped but soon realized the puzzle that Gabriella was putting together in her mind.

Gabriella stared at the brown haired guy who was at the moment saying something to the girl he had been kissing earlier, his side profile in clear view but not his full face. "Oh my God, Tessa. I've been crushing on a guy who has a girlfriend," she moaned as she realized how this all fit together. "God, how stupid am I?"

Tessa, not liking to see her friend distressed, wrapped her arm around Gabriella's shoulders. "Shh, now come on, we didn't know he was with her when you guys met."

"Maybe, but he's with her now and that's what matters," replied Gabriella, shaking her head at her disappointment and the sad fact that she actually felt her heart twinge a bit in pain. 'Get a grip Gabriella, it's not like he was your boyfriend or anything,' she scolded herself.

She watched as the guy, who she pretty much was sure was Troy from New Year's now, looked back down at his phone and sighed, fiddling with it one more time and putting it up to his ear. Gabriella jumped as her cell phone's ringtone went off again, this time catching his attention as she was that much closer to him. He looked up, searching around the room, not seeing her as she backed up and hit a wall, still able to watch him but hidden for the most part from him behind a clothes rack. 'God, what am I going to do?' she wondered, panicked by the idea that he could spot her, like this, right now.

---

Troy looked down at the picture of the girl he met on New Year's, puzzled by why she had called him earlier and then sounded angry at him for it. He tried calling her back earlier before Alicia came out with three different dresses for his supposed approval but just got voicemail. 'May as well try it again,' he thought as he pressed send and put the phone to his ear.

A light, musical ringtone was heard in the store and he wondered at the coincidence of it as he looked around. 'Nah, couldn't be her. She's God knows where, how far away from here. Just wishful thinking. But what if it wasn't?' he wondered.

Troy decided to test this by hanging up even before he got to voicemail and dialed again, hearing the ringtone again. 'No, that's too coincidental now,' he thought as he hung up and then tried one last time, hearing the silence and then the same ringtone once again, this time accompanied by movement from the front of the store, not that far away from him.

He looked in that direction as he stood up, ignoring the dresses that fell to his feet, the ones that Alicia had placed on his lap moments before as her possible maybes. Troy quickly walked towards the sound of the ringtone and stopped dead in his tracks as blue eyes met brown eyes, familiar chocolate brown eyes. "Gabriella?" he called out with a shaky voice.

The owner of the familiar brown eyes, with her wavy dark brown hair down around her shoulders, looked at him startled as he saw confirmation that she did in fact recognize him too. "Troy?" she asked, her own voice unsteady at the thought of coming face to face with him again.

"TROY! WHERE ARE YOU?" called out another familiar voice, making Troy groan as he heard it. That same voice also seemed to wake Gabriella out of the trance she was in and he helplessly watched as she shook her head and took off running from the store, her friend by her side. Troy tried to run out into the mall after her but lost her shortly after in the crowds. 'She could have ducked into any of these stores and I'd never find her,' he realized, sighing.

Unwilling to go back to Alicia right away, Troy wandered over to the railing in the middle of the mall, overlooking the three floors below from where he stood on the fourth floor. 'I can't believe Gabriella has been here, all this time, without me knowing. Is real life cliché enough for me to have met someone miles away from here at a ski lodge to only have her be here all this time?'

Not knowing what else to do, Troy called Gabriella's number again, sighing again as it went straight to voicemail. After hearing her sweet voice on her voicemail and then the beep, Troy decided to leave a message. "Gabriella, it's Troy, the guy from New Year's. I think I just saw you for the first time in weeks and I wanted to confirm that I wasn't just seeing things, that I wasn't dreaming. If you are here in Albuquerque, I'd like to meet up with you. Please, call me back, you have my number."

After he hung up the phone and put it back into his pocket, Troy ran his right hand over his face before he leaned his elbows along the railing, watching the people move around below him while he let his thoughts roam. Of course, most of those thoughts touched upon a certain dark haired beauty who had just stepped back into his life but he also started thinking of all the pressure his dad, his team, his friends, and the entire East High student body had been putting on him in regards to the upcoming game on Friday. 'If we lose, it'll all be my fault. If we win, I'll be a hero. Guess that leaves only one option. Too bad it really isn't all in my control. And what of Gabriella? Where does she go to school? How could I have missed her all this time?'

Troy allowed his thoughts to take him away from the mall for a few more minutes before he heard Alicia's voice calling out to him to return back to the store he left before. After schooling his expression on his face, Troy turned around and gave Alicia a smile that hurt his cheeks and walked back into the store, taking the seat he had previously occupied, and continued to watch Alicia model different dresses until she finally found the one that she wanted.

'Thank God, I'd have killed myself if I had to sit through any more of these dressing rooms,' he thought to himself as he went with her to stand in line, eyeing the ivory dress in her hands. "Guess you found your dress for the masquerade ball, did you find your mask yet?"

"No, that I'm going to shop for tomorrow but you aren't allowed. I have to have something to surprise you with. You are going to pick me up on Saturday, right?" returned Alicia.

"Actually, I can't," answered Troy, his voice full of regret even though he didn't feel any. "It's tradition for the basketball team to go together, one last outing as an official team for the season. We go to dinner before and then the ball. I'll definitely come and find you there though."

"But you have to pick me up and take me there Troy! What type of boyfriend are you to let your girlfriend go to a dance without an escort?" complained Alicia.

"A boyfriend who is captain of the varsity basketball team and who would be shamed if he didn't keep up with tradition. I have to go with the team, there's no way around it, I'm sorry."

Alicia suspiciously eyed Troy. "Are you sure you aren't just picking up some other girl and taking her instead of me?"

Troy couldn't help but roll his eyes at this. "Alicia, honestly, you are being a tad overdramatic here. I'll call up Chad and he'll confirm the plans for Saturday if you want but I'm not lying, honest. Why don't you trust me?"

"Because I saw that picture of that girl on your phone on Monday when she called!" exclaimed Alicia, instantly covering her mouth as she realized what she said out of anger.

He looked at her in puzzlement. "What picture of what girl?"

"Nothing, it was nothing. I guess I'll just have to go to the dance with some other guy then," responded Alicia, hoping that would derail Troy from the picture topic.

"Oh no, you don't get away that easy. What call are you talking about?"

"I don't know what you are talking about."

Then it dawned on Troy, the memory of hearing his phone go off from Alicia's kitchen on Monday but having her deny it was his phone. "So my phone really did ring that day and you lied to me about it. I can't believe you Alicia!"

"So what if I did? If you weren't having an affair, that girl wouldn't mean anything to you, at least compared to me!"

"I'm not cheating on you!" protested Troy. "I bet it was just a friend that called but for you to ignore it and then lie to me about it was just wrong."

"But Troy-!" she started.

"I don't want to hear it Alicia. I'll stay with you while you pay for the dress but then I'm taking you home. I can't believe you!" he exclaimed, pulling his cell phone out to scroll through his call history, not seeing a call there from Monday around that time. "You even took the time and effort to delete it out of the log didn't you?"

Alicia's silence was enough confirmation for Troy. 'God, what did I ever see in her?' he wondered while he stood stoically next to his supposed girlfriend.

Within thirty minutes, Troy had dropped Alicia back off at her house in tense silence, and headed over to Chad's house. Once there, he parked and ran up the steps to wait for Chad to open the door for him after he rang the doorbell.

Just by looking at his best friend since preschool, Chad knew that something was wrong. "What is it man?"

Troy followed Chad up to his room before he sat down on the floor in front of Chad's bed, leaning his head against the footboard. "Had a rough day with girls, let's just say that. Oh, and Alicia? It's so going to be over soon, I can feel it. Either she's going to cheat on me or I'll just lose it one day. She's driving me crazy!"

"What did she do now?"

"Oh nothing besides intercept a call from some girl, who I have suspicions of who it was, and then deleted it from my call log so I don't have a confirmation of who it is while lying to me that I even got a call on Monday."

Chad shook his head. "That's harsh man. I told you getting a girlfriend would be trouble. I admit though that I didn't peg Alicia to be the one to be this bad."

"Neither did I. I just want a girl who is genuinely sweet and isn't afraid to be herself. Someone who doesn't change like night and day and who I can have fun with. Honestly, is that too much to ask?"

"Maybe in your dreams you'll find her," said Chad with a laugh. "But hold up, you said that you had a rough day with girls, plural. Unless Alicia has split personalities, which wouldn't surprise me since she's got this different persona now, there's someone you aren't talking about."

Troy shook his head. "You'll just laugh at me Chad."

"Try me," countered Chad.

"Fine. I think I might have met this girl I met during winter break at the mall, well re-met if that makes any sense. Actually, I think she's the one that probably tried to call when Alicia ignored the call. She's one of the few girls that I actually have a picture of in my phone associated with her number come to think of it," replied Troy. "Her name is Gabriella and she just, I don't know, being with her made me so happy in such a short span of time, like we were connected. If that really was her today though Chad, I need to find her. She could be what I've been missing all this time."

There was nothing but silence after his confession so Troy dared a look in Chad's way and rolled his eyes as he saw Chad sitting there, trying to hold his laughter back. After a few more seconds, Chad became unsuccessful and full out laughed at his best friend, unable to catch his breath for five minutes.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you," muttered Troy, placing his head in his hands.

Once Chad caught his breath and was able to control his laughter, he looked over to his friend and saw how truly upset he was. "Oh come on Troy, I'm sorry but you know how I get with all this soft mushy emotional stuff. Look, if you think that Alicia isn't the one for you and you want to try it with this Gabriella chick, I'm all for helping you, you know I will. That's what best friends are for after all."

Troy looked over at Chad and saw the sincerity there. "I appreciate that Chad. Maybe, for right now, we could just place some video games or something? I need something to take my mind off of all of this so I can maybe revisit it and think it over again."

Chad nodded his agreement and went over to the TV in his room to turn it on and then the PS2 he had already set up. He sat back down next to Troy after he handed him the second controller and grinned as he heard Troy's chuckle as NBA 2007's title came onto the screen.

"Nothing like virtual basketball and trying to cream your best friend to take your mind off of something," joked Troy with a smile.

"Nope, nothing like it at all," agreed Chad as the two got down to business of picking their teams and starting the game.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Coach Bolton eyed his team and saw the stress of the upcoming game, the Championship game that would decide it all for the Wildcats this year, was heavy upon each and every guy's shoulders. He memorized those looks of determination and yet a hint of fear in each of their eyes, knowing that this was it, this is what they had played their best to do, they had come to this game today to win.

He cleared his throat, knowing he had to give them the best pre-game speech ever but he already knew, the team needed little hyping up from him – they were already in the right mindset.

"Each and every one of you in this locker room knows what today's game means. I have watched as you all have played your hearts out on that court out there, on our home turf, as well as how you have played in other high school gymnasiums this year. You have shown real teamwork this year and a determination to be the best. Today, you go up against one of the best teams in this league, in this state even, but let's not forget the power and raw talent you all have in this team, harnessed by your team's spirit. Whatever happened two minutes ago, whatever your plans are, win or lose, for after the game, I want you to forget about it. Focus on this game, focus on this moment, and that winning spirit I have seen in this year's East High Varsity basketball team will prevail, without a doubt. Go out there, play your best, and remember to have some fun! If there's one thing about this year's team that makes it stand out to me is the amount of fun and friendship you have all shared this year. Go out with a bang! Now, let's do this!"

The guys all grinned back at their coach before Chad led off:

"WHAT TEAM?"

"WILDCATS!"

"WHAT TEAM?"

"WILDCATS!"

"WHAT TEAM?"

"WILDCATS!"

"WILDCATS, GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME!"

---

Gabriella and Tessa entered the East High gym and saw the opposite side of the gym's bleachers decorated in red, white, and gold, which clearly declared it to be Wildcat territory. "Guess we aren't going over there," murmured Gabriella.

Tessa laughed. "Not unless you want Riley to get all annoyed and mad you crossed over to the 'dark side.' I still can't believe we're here because of him!"

_Gabriella was walking to the picnic bench she and Tessa usually ate lunch at with some of Tessa's friends when she felt a hand gently grab her own and pull her out of the wave of students trying to get to one point or another on campus._

_"Hey!" protested Gabriella, feeling unsure of __herself__ and the situation when she saw the owner of the hand was Riley._

_"Sorry, I just didn't feel like getting trampled over by Knights while I talked to you. I know by now that you and Tessa were joking last Monday about you being a couple. I can take a joke, but I'm more interested in you than ever before Gabriella. What do you say to __coming__ to watch me lead the West High Knights to victory today?"_

_"Oh, are you joining the army?"_

_Riley chuckled. "Funny, you sure are a funny girl Gabriella. No, I meant at tonight's basketball Championship game over at East High. I can't promise we'll show them mercy as we cream them but it should be a good time had by all. Plus, there's going to be a huge after party that I want to take you to."_

_"Sorry, I can't go Riley. My mom is really strict and sets curfew at 8 on weekdays," __lied__ Gabriella._

_"Well then, it's a good thing it is Friday, the night before the big Masquerade Ball. You are going to that aren't you? Maybe you'll even do me the honor of being my date?"_

_'God, he really is full of himself,' thought Gabriella before she sweetly smiled at him. "Yes, I am going to the ball but I already have myself a date, several actually."_

_"WHO?" demanded __Riley.__ "I thought I made it clear that you were my interest and no one else's."_

_"Wait, you staked claims on me, even after I told you I wasn't looking for a boyfriend? __Of all the stupid…__ You know what? It doesn't matter, as it happens I am going with a group of __friends__ tomorrow night so no, I will not be your date, let's leave it at that."_

_"Fair enough," replied Riley. __"So, about tonight.__ It's a Friday so I know your curfew must be later than 8, enough to at least come to the game, plus it's your real first West High event. Do you really want to make yourself that unpopular and lame kid who doesn't have any school spirit? You may not be blonde and blue eyed but I know you secretly want to belong, to not be known as that freaky smart girl."_

_That did it for her. "Fine, I'll go. I'll bring Tessa with me too."_

_"The more the merrier. I'll dedicate tonight's win to you, just you."_

_Gabriella did her best to put a stop to her automatic gag reflex. "See you tonight then, bye Riley."_

"As much as I hate to admit it, Riley had a point. I should be here since it is my first West High event. Plus, with all the hype running through West's halls, I was a bit curious about how this game would all play out," admitted Gabriella.

Both teams came out onto the court and started warming up a little. They both had warmed up fully before the little pep talk sessions with their respective coaches but had this chance to get a little bit looser again. Gabriella's eyes fell on a familiar brown haired guy who led his team through some quick warm up throws.

"You never called him back, huh," remarked Tessa, noting that Gabriella was watching East High's basketball captain. "You know, technically if we are sitting on this side of the gym, you should at least be scoping out West High's basketball captain. Oh wait, they both are interested in you equally. How's a girl to choose?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Shut up Tessa! Troy isn't interested in me and Riley, well I'm not into Riley, let's leave it at that, especially after today's episode. And no, I never did call back Troy. What was I supposed to say now that I know it really is him and that he has a girlfriend now?"

"How about, 'Hi, it's great to see you again Troy. Why don't you ditch your current annoying girlfriend and be my boytoy?' It has a certain ring to it."

"Seriously Tessa, only you could pull that off without looking, well, Tessaish."

"Tessaish?"

Gabriella grinned. "My own terminology and proud of it!"

The two girls laughed just as the buzzer sounded indicating the start of the game.

---

'Come on Troy, keep it together,' thought Troy as he almost messed up passing the ball to Chad, who had just scored. Ever since Troy noticed at half time that the girl he thought was Gabriella was sitting up in the West High stands, his mind hadn't been as focused as it should have been. There were now only four minutes left of the fourth quarter and thanks to Chad, East and West were now tied evenly. Troy briefly glanced up again into West's stands as his gaze was this time returned by her own since she had been watching him intently for the last few minutes.

Even from where she sat, Gabriella could tell something was distracting and bothering him. Not knowing what it was, Gabriella gave into her sudden urge to support him and smiled at him, giving him a thumbs up. She saw Troy nod and smile back at her before he got refocused on the game, which at this moment meant getting in front of Riley and blocking his attempted three pointer, gaining control back of the ball for East and doing a layup to put East back on top.

Tessa saw this little exchange and just shook her head. "All right Gaby, enough with this coy flirting from afar. It's clear to me even that you really like this guy. You better hope Riley hasn't seen it from down there though."

"What do you mean?" asked Gabriella, truly confused by what her friend said although she wasn't fully paying attention. Gabriella wasn't able to tear her eyes away from Troy as he got back in front of Riley and blocked a pass this time to pass it to a teammate of his with dark skin and a bushy head of hair who then made a three pointer before someone from West could block him.

Noting that Gabriella wasn't really giving her the full attention she desired, Tessa shrugged her shoulders. "Just that the jocks at West are usually pretty territorial and if Riley has expressly invited you to the game, which he has, he would not take kindly to you making googily eyes at his opponent, especially if they lose in two minutes of game time, which they are headed towards."

Gabriella looked up to the scoreboard and saw that Tessa was right. The score was 58 to 51 at the moment. "So you are telling me that you of all people want me to date Riley?"

"No, I'm saying that you should follow your heart but be careful, that's all. God, in no way, shape, or form do I ever want you to think I want you to go out with our basketball captain. He may be honors material but he definitely lacks what a girl like you or me would need to be satisfied dating him. And yes, I do love teasing you about him but I'd never seriously push you towards him, I want you to know that now."

"Thanks Tessa," said Gabriella with a smile, glancing over at her friend for a brief moment before she turned her attention back to the game.

Troy shot a look at the timer and saw there were thirty-three seconds left on the clock, enough for West to tie it up for overtime or enough time for East to create a nice cushion for a victory win. 'I'd rather it be the latter,' thought Troy as he caught the pass from Jason, dribbled it down and was about to shoot when he felt himself get knocked down. He looked up at the offender and groaned as he saw Riley sneering down at him. 'I should have known.'

Chad and Zeke rushed over to Troy's side and helped him up as a ref blew his whistle to indicate the foul and to give Troy his free shots. "Are you all right man?" asked a concerned Chad, seeing Troy rub his right arm. "Did you land on it?"

"Either that or it was the push I got on it from West's dear captain," muttered Troy, eyeing Riley with a distinct dislike in his eyes.

Brushing it aside, Troy stepped up to the line and made all three shots, helping give East a much needed cushion to continue playing the game with a little more air to breath until the final buzzer went off, declaring East High the new New Mexico State Champions.

Reluctantly, West High's team stood in line to shake East High's team's hands before the Wildcat varsity basketball team was swept up by a crowd of excited East High student body as well as family and staff.

Gabriella watched from the stands as West High students started dragging their feet out, obviously disappointed with the turnout of the game. Tessa and she remained seated so they wouldn't have to deal with the swarms of people trying to leave the scene of the latest loss to the rival school. While they sat there, Gabriella couldn't help but let her gaze wander back over to the brown haired guy who led his team to victory as their captain. She grinned as he saw the excitement practically exuding from his body as his team had him up on their shoulders along with the bushy haired guy and their coach. Eventually, the three were put back on their feet and Gabriella averted her eyes when she saw the girl from the mall rush up to Troy and kiss him soundly on the lips. 'He'd be perfect except for that,' she thought, instead turning her gaze over to the West team who looked to be getting some sort of talk from their coach back down on the sideline.

Eventually, when most of the West High crowd was gone, Tessa and Gabriella made their way down the bleachers. By then, the West High coach was done with his speech so the basketball players started dispersing, going into the away team's locker room to collect their things.

"TESSA!" called out an unfamiliar voice.

Tessa whipped her head around and smiled. "TAYLOR MCKESSIE!"

Gabriella watched as a dark skinned beauty hugged her friend tightly before turning a questioning look on her. "Who's your friend?" asked the girl.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Taylor McKessie, please meet my new good friend Gabriella Montez. She just moved here about two weeks ago from South Carolina."

Taylor smiled and extended her hand to Gabriella. "Hi Taylor, nice to meet you," said Gabriella as she shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you too Gabriella. I must say, you don't have even the slightest hint of a drawl."

Gabriella laughed. "Tessa said the same thing. I've actually been moving around a lot for the last few years so I didn't have enough time to really pick it up on a normal basis."

Taylor nodded her head. "I can understand that. So how do you like West?"

"It's all right, better now that I have Tessa here to hang out with. Do you go to West?" asked Gabriella, sure that the girl didn't since she was wearing red and white clothing.

"No, I go to East High. I actually usually don't even go to these things but I lost a bet with one of my scholastic decathlon teammates so here I am, dressed in the school's colors. Tessa and I actually are friends from volunteering at a children's homeless center on the weekends. You should join us. It's actually a lot of fun and it looks great on the transcripts for college," explained Taylor.

Gabriella gave Tessa a questioning look but only saw encouragement from her friend. "Sure, I'd love to. I'm sure Tessa will give me the details."

"Excellent! Well, I see your boys are coming out so I best leave before they start something. I'll see both of you in the morning?"

"You bet, see you Taylor!" returned Tessa with another smile.

Taylor just waved before she walked over to the exit and went out the door. "Are things really that bad that two friends from opposing schools can't talk to each other?" asked Gabriella.

"Well we can but it's hard when people in the schools know who you are because you tend to get hassled more. Taylor is well known at East for being captain of the scholastic decathlon team while I'm known at West for being the brianiac with artistic flair. And if you aren't careful, you are going to be known at West and East both for being the cause of an even deeper rivalry between the two schools," commented Tessa.

Gabriella looked at her friend puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

"Just that Troy Bolton seems to be staring at you while I already see Riley advancing. What am I going to do with you Gabriella? I told you not to put that enchantment spell on both of them, now this is never going to work," teased Tessa just before Riley finally reached them.

Gabriella shot Tessa a look before she forced a smile and looked over at Riley. "Hey Riley, I'm sorry about the game," said Gabriella, actually meaning it. 'Being on the losing team always sucks.'

"Yeah, well, if Bolton over there was a bit stronger he wouldn't have fallen and wouldn't have gotten those extra free throws for a foul I didn't really commit. Stupid idiot," bit out Riley before he changed his tone. "Come on Gabriella, why don't we go out? You can help me relieve some of this pressure and stress from the loss."

Tessa knew that what Riley was suggesting wouldn't end well so she decided to step in. "Actually, Gabriella has curfew soon and I don't want her mom to get mad at me for keeping her out late," lied Tessa, hoping Riley wouldn't look at the clock but he did.

"Her mom wants her home by 7? On a Friday? I know Gabriella said her curfew was at 8 on weekdays," argued Riley.

Tessa didn't come back with something right away so Gabriella decided to save herself. "Well, to be honest, Tessa and I had plans already to go have dinner before I go home. My mom is expecting me home at a decent hour tonight as I'll be out late tomorrow night at the ball."

Riley nodded his head in understanding, surprising both Tessa and Gabriella. "I see. Well we wouldn't want you to miss out on the ball tomorrow night. I must confess I'm actually looking forward to it. How about me and some of the guys join you two girls for dinner? I promise I won't keep you long."

Gabriella nervously bit her lip and exchanged a look with Tessa. 'Riley is already in a worked up mood, this would do no good to get him mad now.'

"Sure, but Gaby and I are driving on our own there so we can make sure she gets home on time, all right?" agreed Tessa.

"Deal," replied Riley. "I'll just walk you two lovely ladies to your car before I take mine then."

"Okay," replied Gabriella, relieved that at least Tessa would be with her for a torturous dinner.

"GUYS, come on! Dinner with beautiful company awaits!" called out Riley to his best buddies on the team who headed over in their direction to join them.

Riley wrapped an arm around Gabriella's back and rested his hand on Gabriella's hip as they exited the gym. Feeling a bit unnerved by this, after a few seconds later when they were in East High's parking lot Gabriella shook his arm off, pretending to turn to talk to Tessa in the process so it wouldn't look like a deliberate dismissal, which it was.

Gabriella got behind the wheel of her car and started it, waiting for Riley to drive around in front of her so that they could follow him to the restaurant, his buddies pulling up behind the girls. "God, it's as if they need to make sure we get there," complained Gabriella.

"Well if they were smart, and I'm saying if, they would know that we would bolt at our earliest opportunity," said Tessa. "They could just be making sure we supposedly don't get lost."

"Who knows," replied Gabriella with a roll of her eyes. "Guess it's going to be a long dinner."

"Hey, at least you have me," returned Tessa with a grin. "We'll make the best of this, promise."

Gabriella smiled over at her friend, again thankful she was there with her. Shortly after, her phone beeped from her purse. "Can you get that for me Tessa?"

"Sure," said Tessa as she reached into her friend's purse and pulled out her cell phone. She pressed OK to see the text message and start laughing. "Wow, tonight is proving to be one of those interesting nights. You just got a text from East High's golden boy."

"Really?" asked Gabriella, taking a moment to look from the road to her friend.

"Really," replied Tessa as she started to read the text out loud.

---

Troy was feeling on top of the world after the win, despite his sore arm, especially when Chad and he held the championship trophy in their hands together after being put down. Suddenly, Troy felt a pair of lips crashing onto his and saw with his open eyes that it was Alicia. 'The way I'm feeling right now, even she can't bring me down,' thought Troy as he actually kissed her back, the first time in a few days.

Alicia pulled back with a smile on her face. "Great win Troy! You were amazing!"

"Well, so was my team," replied Troy with a chuckle. "You can't forget them."

"Of course I can! You are the only important player on the team, everyone knows that."

"Actually, I think the team is far more important than me. We work together and that's what works for us," answered Troy, seeing that a few of his teammates had heard his girlfriend.

"I still think it's all you Troy," returned Alicia with a smile.

Troy, knowing it was a losing battle to keep arguing with her, just shook his head and disentangled his arms from around her. "I've got to go and say hi to my mom and dad. I'll see you later?"

"I'll be there at the celebration party," exclaimed Alicia before giving Troy one last kiss and disappearing from his sight.

"Dude, seriously, you really do need to dump her," commented Chad who had heard the whole thing. "I guess you were right, she really has changed from the girl she used to be, or at least who we all thought she was."

Troy nodded his head. "Give it time Chad, give it time," replied Troy as he remembered that encouraging smile he got from the dark haired girl up in the West High stands. He looked around the gym, hoping she was still there, only to feel his gut wrench a little to see her talking to Riley Sutton. 'God, she can't really be his girlfriend can she?'

"What is it man?" asked Chad as he and Zeke joined Troy's side, looking to see what had his attention when Troy didn't answer Chad. All three watched as the two girls left the gym with Riley and his buddies, Riley's arm around one of them, until they were gone from their sight. "So, which one of those two is your dream girl? Riley's girl or the one smart enough not to let him touch her?"

Troy shook his head, not wanting to believe that who he thought was Gabriella from the ski lodge was really dating his biggest opponent and the biggest jerk around. "She can't be dating him," murmured Troy, mostly to himself but loud enough to be heard by his friends.

Zeke and Chad exchanged a look, knowing that the petite Hispanic girl was the girl Troy had been thinking of in the last week. "Look man, maybe she is just friends with him," suggested Zeke, not wanting his close friend to be depressed by this incident on the night that should rightfully be their celebratory night.

"Yeah, maybe, if I'm lucky and if that's even her," responded Troy, not looking at either of them. "I'm going to go shower and then change at home before we head out. Still going to Mike's for dinner?"

"Best Italian and Greek food around, you bet!" exclaimed Zeke.

Troy nodded his head. "See you guys there then in about an hour."

After grabbing his stuff from the locker room, Troy headed out to his parent's car that they let him borrow every once in a while and drove home. Once there, he dropped his bag in his room and sighed as he sat on the corner of his bed, lost again at just the mere thought of the girl he was almost positive was Gabriella. 'Maybe I'll text her, maybe she'll actually respond this time. Yeah, if it isn't her, she should tell me it was mistaken identity, right?'

Troy pulled out his cell phone and texted:

_**I think you were at the big East vs. West game tonight. If you were, thank you for your secret support, it meant a lot especially as you sat on the opposing side.**_

He pushed send and dropped the cell phone on his bed, figuring she wouldn't text him back right away if she even did. Troy jumped into the shower and used the time to clear his head before wrapping a thick towel around his waist and returning to his room. He heard a faint beep and picked up his phone reading an incoming text.

_**I'm sorry I never **__**called,**__** it really was me at tonight's game. You did great! Congrats!**_

Troy felt a grin return to his face as he read the message for a fourth time before he texted back.

_**It's**__** okay, I'm glad it is you. I still want to talk and meet up one day now that I know you are here.**_

He sent the message and put the phone back down on his bed while he changed into a pair of khakis and a nice blue button up shirt. After running his hands through his hair in the bathroom and replacing the towel back on the rack, Troy returned to his room and picked up his cell phone, disappointed he didn't have a response back. Nervously, Troy reread what he said and mentally kicked himself. 'No wonder she didn't text back, she probably thinks I'm a crazy stalker. "I still want to talk and meet up one day now that I know you are here"? God, I probably scared her away.'

Troy groaned as he slipped his cell into one of his front pockets of his jeans and grabbed the keys to the family compact car again and headed out to join his teammates for a celebratory dinner before the party. Once there, he pushed back his worries about Gabriella and just lived for the moment, enjoying the feeling of victory as his teammates immediately swept him up in their own excitement.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Gabriella stared at the image in front of her after Annette put the finishing touches on her daughter's head. She was already dressed in the ivory strapless gown she bought with Tessa a week ago, but her mother had helped sweep all her hair up off her shoulders and into an elegant do on the back of her head while clipping little gems into her hair on both sides of her head.

Annette stepped back and smiled at the vision of her daughter. 'She really does look every inch of who she really is,' thought the mother with a proud smile on her face. "You look wonderful daughter."

Gabriella turned to smile at her mom. "Thank you," replied Gabriella, giving her mother a hug. "Now, just to slip on the mask."

Her mother picked up the white mask with silver glittery designs on it from Gabriella's bedside table and tied it around Gabriella's head, securing the strings to Gabriella's hair with bobby pins. "There, now you really are perfect."

'Now only if everything in my life was perfect,' thought Gabriella while she thought back to earlier on in the day at the homeless children's center.

_Tessa, Gabriella, and Taylor sat together on a picnic bench outside while they babysat a small group of toddlers so their parents could run some errands without having to carry them around. Earlier on in the morning, they had helped prepare and serve breakfast for the people staying there at the shelter, both the adults and children, but the children were their main focus._

_"So, Gabriella, I hear from Tessa that you know Troy Bolton," commented Taylor, not realizing that it was still a touchy subject between Gabriella and Tessa._

_Gabriella shot Tessa a look that said it all before she replied, "Yes, I do. He and I met over winter break but we're not friends or anything, especially if Tessa keeps interfering."_

_"What? Oh come on Gabriella. You have to admit that you had to throw the poor boy a bone and let him know at least it was you last night at the game. I think he was starting to wonder if you were a figment of his imagination," stated Tessa._

_"But you didn't have to text him back for me! And you were flirty!" argued Gabriella._

_Taylor laughed. __"Tessa flirty?__Never!"_

_Tessa just shot her other friend a look. "Gaby, come on. I only did it because I'm trying to give you this opportunity to explore what you may have with this guy. If he turns out to be a jerk then let him go, but you'll never know until you actually talk to him."_

_"Wait, so something happened at the game?" asked Taylor, confused as to what exactly happened._

_"Not exactly," replied Gabriella. "I saw Troy with his girlfriend after the game and told myself it just wasn't meant to be. We then got roped into going to dinner with Riley and his crew and on the way there, Troy texted me. Instead of letting me decide what to send back, Tessa texted him back for me, letting him know it really was me from break and that he did a great job. He texted back that he wanted to meet and I never responded back."_

_"And she wouldn't let me anywhere near her cell phone after that," added Tessa._

_"For good reason!__ You already did something I wouldn't have by texting him back," argued Gabriella._

_"Whoa, hang on you two. __All this fuss over Troy Bolton?__ Seriously?" questioned Taylor._

_Tessa and Gabriella turned their attention to their friend. "Yeah, is he that bad of a guy?" asked Gabriella._

_"To be honest, I haven't given him much more thought other than the fact that he is the golden boy of our school who seems to rule without even trying. He's a jock and at East High, we don't mix groups so I don't know more than that. I do know he is dating Alicia Covina, a fellow junior that seems to have changed since she started dating Troy. All her friends are complaining about how arrogant she's become," dished Taylor._

_"See Gaby?__ There is hope. No guy would honestly want to go out with a girl who just wants to be with him for popularity," stated Tessa._

_"Still though, he has her as his girlfriend. I'm not going to try and break them up for heaven's sake," replied Gabriella._

_Taylor scoffed. "Please __Gabriella,__ if rumors around East is true, then you'd only be severing the tiny thread of which Alicia is hanging onto Troy with. There are bets I've heard of when they are breaking up even."_

_"See?" said Tessa._

_Gabriella sighed. "Look, whatever state his relationship is in, it's not my business. I hardly even know Troy and as annoyed as I am at you Tessa for interfering, you're still my closest friend here but I'd rather you back off a little on this subject."_

_Tessa nodded her head. "I can respect that. I know you are a lot shyer than me after all. Look, honestly, all I've ever wanted to do is to help you either get with or get over this guy who has your attention. There are plenty of other guys for you to meet in this big city, a good chunk of who will be at the ball tonight."_

_"That's true. Hey, can I meet up with you guys there maybe? Tonight is the perfect chance to hang out since we'll all be 'disguised' or so is the idea for most of the night until the unmasking," said Taylor._

_"Sure, Gabriella is wearing a strapless ivory dress with little embroidered flowers on the bottom half and I am wearing a spaghetti strapped violet ball gown. I can guarantee we'll be together so just look for the two dresses together. We'll even use a secret code for the fun of it. Hmm, what should it be?" responded Tessa._

_Gabriella thought before she suggested, "How about Taylor says 'Happily' and we respond 'Ever after'?"_

_"Brilliant! An opener and a confirmation, that's great," exclaimed Taylor._

_"And you tried telling me you aren't a romantic, __psh__!" teased Tessa with a smile._

Just then, the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of Tessa and their two other friends, Beth Smith and Sarah Johnson, who would be going to the ball together in Sarah's car. Annette went downstairs to answer the door for the three girls and let them in as Gabriella made her way down the stairs.

"Wow, was I right or was I right in making you buy that dress Gaby?" commented Tessa with a grin.

"You look like you stepped out of a fairytale book or something," added Sarah.

Gabriella grinned as she hugged her three friends. "Thank you for the compliments ladies, you all look fabulous yourself. Oh shoot, I forgot my camera upstairs!"

Beth waved hers that was hanging around her wrist. "Don't worry, I have mine. I'll share and take great pictures, promise!"

"Speaking of, if you would like I can take a nice group one of the four of you before you all leave," offered Annette, taking the camera from a happy Beth.

The four girls gathered together and smiled while they posed a few different ways before they left for the evening. "Gabriella, don't forget curfew!" called out Annette.

"Midnight right?" returned Gabriella.

"The unmasking at the ball isn't until midnight, I wouldn't do that to you. Since you came home early last night, let's make it 1 AM."

Gabriella grinned. "I can do that! You are the best Mom!"

"I know," said Annette before she closed and locked the front door.

After twenty-five minutes, the four girls got out of the parked car and walked towards the convention center in downtown Albuquerque where the Masquerade Ball was being held with their jackets and wraps around their shoulders tightly to fight off the cold bite the wind was carrying. An hour and a half of the official dance had already passed so the girls were not surprised at the number of people already in the room dancing and socializing at tables. They picked out a table and laid their stuff down, still surveying the room's decorations and all the people that were scattered throughout the room.

"Gabriella, isn't that girl wearing the same dress as you?" asked Sarah, drawing the other girls' attention towards a girl ten feet away, looking around the room for something or someone, dressed in the same ivory strapless dress with flowers on the bottom.

Beth added, "Don't worry Gabriella, it may be the same dress but you look so much more stunning in it. Besides, she totally didn't accessorize right, leaving her hair down like that totally takes away from the beauty of the dress."

"Maybe," said Gabriella, silently wondering if that was Troy's girlfriend.

"Hey, don't worry about her. Tonight is a masquerade ball, when we get to mingle with everyone, regardless of their school, and not know their real identities. No one will know it is you wearing the duplicate dress. Besides, Beth is right Gaby. You look so much better in it, just as I told you back at the store last week," stated Tessa, giving Gabriella a firm squeeze around her shoulders. "We're here to have fun, right ladies?"

"Right!" agreed Beth and Sarah, smiles on their faces.

Gabriella looked at her friends and finally let go of the corner of her lip that she had been chewing on. "All right, let's dance!"

The four girls laughed a little together as they held hands and got onto the dance floor, having the time of their lives and just enjoying each other's company.

---

The East High varsity basketball team arrived at the Masquerade Ball around 10:30 after a very long and late dinner. They had dressed in suits and had thrown on the same mask Zeke had bought all of them earlier on in the week. Currently, an hour later, most of the guys were still lingering along one side of the room, watching the dancers on the dance floor enjoy themselves while they just talked together.

'Having anonymity at an event like this has distinct advantages, like not having to say hello to everyone or searching for a certain "girlfriend",' thought Troy. A group of girls walked by and giggled, all waving their hands at the group of guys gathered together. 'Then again, there are some that will recognize us if we stay clumped like this. Oh well!'

"So how are we supposed to know what girls we can dance with?" asked Jason.

"What do you mean J? Just find a girl who isn't attached to the hip with a guy," replied Zeke.

"Well yeah, if this was just an East High dance. What if the girl ends up going to West?" argued Jason.

"So what man?" responded Troy. "Doesn't make her your enemy. Sometimes I think this school wide dislike for each other is just ridiculous. Yeah, we have our problems with certain people on the West's basketball team personally, but that doesn't mean every student there is on the crap list in my books at least."

"But you are just saying that because your latest crush is a West High student, which by the way I would not run around school proclaiming. That wasn't the tune you were singing a few weeks ago about West," pointed out Chad.

Troy swallowed, knowing that his best friend had a valid point. "Look, all I'm saying is that it really shouldn't matter what school any of us go to and also, let me point this out, that tonight's dance is all about getting along and intermingling."

"Oh yeah? Well how about we pick out a random girl from this set and we'll make you dance with her?" suggested Zeke.

Troy rolled his eyes. "And that would prove what?"

"I'm just saying, if you are all for not caring who you dance with, why don't you prove it? Dance with some random girl we choose and risk the reputation you'll earn for it if she's a West High girl."

"Well if I'm going to do it, I say we all do it," returned Troy.

"Nope, this is your thing. You want to prove a point that we should be more open-minded about girls no matter their school, you dance with who we choose, no arguing," stated Chad.

"But I have a girlfriend," complained Troy.

Chad choked on his laughter. "I know you did not just try to weasel out of this with that excuse. We all know you aren't all that attached to her now, especially lately."

Troy sighed, knowing Jason was thinking the same thing. "Fine, pick."

Jason, Zeke, and Chad gathered together and singled out a girl who was sipping from a glass near the refreshment table, sort of in the shadows although her ivory dress was very visible from where they stood. "Her, that girl dressed in the strapless white dress, next to the refreshment table," stated Jason.

Troy turned his attention over to the area his friends were pointing at and groaned. "Guys, you just picked out Alicia!"

The three laughed for a few moments before they sobered. "Well, what are the odds of that," said Zeke. "How do you know for sure though? Her face is covered."

"Because I was there when she bought that dress," replied Troy. "But if you still want me to dance with her, I will, just to shut you boys up."

"We did pick her so I guess you're stuck, sorry bud. At least she isn't a West chick," said Chad, dooming Troy to make his way over to her.

Troy started walking towards his "mission" and stopped shortly when he was in front of her. "Care to dance?" he asked, noting his voice was a bit huskier than normal.

She smiled back at him and nodded after a moment of hesitation, gently taking his offered hand. 'That's a bit odd behavior for her,' thought Troy.

A slow song was playing so Troy pulled her close to him, placing his arms around her, his hands resting on the small of her back while she reached up and let her hands linger on his shoulders.

Almost instantly, as they started to sway together, Troy started to realize that the girl he was dancing with was not his girlfriend. Now that she was in the light, well the dim light that was cast by the rotating lights from the DJ, Troy noticed her hair wasn't black but was a dark brown with waves that were kept together in her updo. 'Who is she?' he wondered as he searched her eyes while she stared back up at him but didn't say anything.

Taking her lead, Troy continued to dance with her in silence, thinking of all the differences in the way she even moved in his arms, so different from any other girl he had danced with. 'It's almost like we've known each other forever and can move as one without even knowing who each other are,' he thought.

The song eventually ended and his partner made a move to step out of his embrace but something made Troy pull her back to him, noting the blush that had risen on her cheeks that were visible under the mask as another slow ballad came on. As a few verses of the second song passed, she seemed to relax into his hold again, even letting Troy pull her a little bit closer to him, not even realizing he was doing it.

A third slow song came on and this time, neither made a move to step away from the other. Troy had caught her looking up at him, studying him, a few times but at other times she seemed content with just dancing with him while she looked away from him. While he was studying her smiling profile towards the end of the current song, she turned her head and smiled a little more while she flushed pink again as her eyes connected with his. The two leaned in towards each other, giving in to the draw they both felt towards each other, and sighed together as their lips finally met, in the softest of kisses. When they pulled apart, Troy chuckled lightly as she placed two of her fingertips up to her lips, touching it as if she was wondering at the feeling. 'I felt the chemistry too, trust me,' he thought as he continued to watch her before leaning down and kissing her again.

The two were interrupted when a girl Troy vaguely recognized ran over to them, easily recognizable to the girl he was dancing with since the lights were now back on for a few moments for the unveiling. "Gabriella, it's time to take your mask off babe! It's midnight!"

'GABRIELLA?' he wondered as the girl untied the strings of the mask Gabriella was wearing and took it off, revealing her whole face, especially her brown eyes, to Troy's view. 'Wow.'

Gabriella looked over at Tessa for a moment as she took her mask back from her friend before she turned her attention to the guy whose arms she was still in. "And your identity?" she asked.

Troy raised a shaking hand up to the bottom of his mask and lifted it up so that it was resting on the top of his head, watching her reaction as he did so.

"TROY?" questioned Gabriella, shocked that the charming young man she had just danced with, not needing any conversation with, was the same guy from New Year's. 'Well that would make sense with that familiar draw and chemistry I felt just now like I felt then.'

Before either could say anything further to each other, they were interrupted again but this time by a screech. Gabriella felt herself pushed out of Troy's hold by the girl who was unmasked and wearing the same dress as her, the girl from the mall and the game, Troy's girlfriend. Even before she could say anything, Gabriella felt a sharp pain on her cheek as the girl's hand made contact, effectively leaving a red mark from her slap. "SLUT!" screamed the girl before Troy and one of his friends, the guy with the big head of hair, pulled her away.

Tessa shot the girl a look that could kill before turning her attention to Gabriella, who was now gingerly touching her stinging cheek. "Gaby, are you okay?"

Tears filled Gabriella's eyes as she watched Troy look down at the girl in his arms that he was restraining with the help of his friend while also trying to push away the pain from the slap. Soon, she saw Sarah, Beth, and even Taylor run to her aid, concern in their eyes. Taylor looked at her new friend and back over at the offender. "Alicia!" exclaimed Taylor, now realizing that the person who attacked Gabriella was in fact Troy's girlfriend.

"What? And who are you anyway?" asked Alicia, a little bit more calm than a few moments before. "A West High slut?"

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Actually, I go to East High with you but then again, I wouldn't expect a popular wannabe to know who I am. Troy, why don't you get her out of here with the rest of your jock crew?"

Troy ignored the comment as he let go of the non-struggling Alicia and made his way towards Gabriella before he felt his hand being grabbed firmly and then his arm yanked back in the other direction. "TROY! You better not be going to comfort that slut!" screamed Alicia.

He took one last look at Gabriella, feeling guilty for what just happened to her, before he turned his attention back on Alicia. "What makes her that Alicia? I don't see a single thing about her that qualifies her for that undignified title."

Alicia angrily yanked her arm away from Chad's grasp as she realized he still had her in his hold before stepping closer to Troy. "What makes HER a SLUT? Let me think…SHE KISSED MY BOYFRIEND!"

Troy noticed it got quieter in the room as he suspected Alicia just grabbed the attention of most of the students in the room but pushed it aside, not willing to allow this girl to go any further. "Wrong Alicia, I kissed her, well at least the second time but that's beside the point."

"YOU KISSED TWICE?!?" screamed a now hysterical Alicia. "TWICE?"

Troy groaned. "Yes, twice. Listen, why don't we take this outside so we can talk in private, all right?"

"No, I refuse to go anywhere with you Troy Bolton! I can't believe you kissed her! She's probably some trash from West High. I've never seen her before and she's not even pretty!"

"Actually, I think she is," returned Troy. "Beautiful actually, but your name calling isn't getting you anywhere Alicia. Come on, let's go and talk about this outside."

"Absolutely not! I refuse to be shut up by you! How did she lure you away Troy? I was willing to give you anything you wanted, anything you needed. Why wasn't I enough?"

"It just hasn't been working Alicia, you know that," admitted Troy.

"But it has!" protested Alicia. "Everything was fine until tonight. We may have had a few fights lately but that's just it, they were simple fights. Wait, I know, you thought she was me while she had her mask on, right? You saw the dress and thought it was me you were dancing with and so you kissed me. That makes sense. Troy, please tell me that was it."

'Tempting as it is to lie right now, I can't,' thought Troy before he shook his head, causing her to scream louder. "Alicia, please, I'm going to ask this one last time. Please come and talk with me outside."

"FORGET IT! I DON'T WANT TO BE WITH ANY GUY WHO CHEATS ON ME. I AM WAY BETTER THAN THAT!" screamed Alicia.

Sighing, Troy agreed, surprising them all. "You're right Alicia, you do deserve someone who will be faithful to you and will love you. Obviously, that's not me. I guess we are over then, huh?"

Hearing his words sobered Alicia quickly, knowing Troy was absolutely serious about ending their relationship. "NO! Wait, Troy, we don't have to break up, honest. I can overlook this, I can."

"No, you've said enough tonight Alicia. Besides, I don't think I can be with a girl who viciously tampers with my phone and doesn't respect my friends," said Troy, knowing every word he said was true and hearing the anger in his voice himself.

"Troy, please, I won't do that ever again! Your cell phone will be off limits to me and I'll be nice to your friends, honest," pleaded Alicia.

"I'm sorry Alicia, it's over," said Troy in a soft yet firm voice, looking her in the eyes before he turned back around to look at Gabriella, who was still staring at him.

"Answer me this," called out Alicia from behind him. "She's the girl from the picture, isn't she? The one on your phone?"

Troy turned back around and pinned her with a look with his currently steel blue and gray eyes. "Maybe, maybe not. Because I never knew who called that night you decided to ignore the call and then delete it from my phone, I honestly can't answer you. Your tricks, the nastiness you've developed, all of it has led up to tonight Alicia. It's no one else's fault except for mine as well as yours for not having the guts to end it sooner. Gabriella has no fault in this at all."

"Troy Bolton, you are going to live to regret this, mark my words!" threatened Alicia one last time before she ran out of the large room with no one following her.

Chad shot him a worried look before Troy turned his attention back on Gabriella. "Gabriella, are you all right?" he asked, finally able to walk back to her.

Gabriella hesitantly nodded her head. "It just stings, I'm fine. Are you okay?"

"Surprisingly, yes. As Chad would say, this has been coming for a long time," replied Troy. "And before you ask, no, I am not in the habit of kissing random girls and cheating on my girlfriend. Both were a first for me tonight but I'm glad. I can't believe we've found each other again."

She stared back at him, feeling as if everyone around them disappeared as she gazed into his sky blue eyes. "Me either," she returned, closing her eyes at the sensations his hand caused when he gingerly held it up to her injured cheek. The wonderful feelings only increased when Gabriella opened her eyes and watched as Troy leaned in and softly kissed her cheek.

Troy smiled down at her as he pulled away. "Maybe that will make it feel better?"

Just as Gabriella was about to answer, she watched in horror as a fist flew out of nowhere and connected with Troy's jaw. "STAY AWAY FROM HER!" yelled the owner of the fist.

Troy stumbled back a step and then rubbed his jaw as he eyed the other guy. "Riley Sutton, so we finally come to blows. I think you are just using her as an excuse to get in a fight with me. I know you've been itching for one since we were freshman."

"Troy, don't," pleaded Gabriella, not wanting to see him hurt. "There's nothing going on with me and Riley. It's not worth it!"

He took his eyes off of Riley for a moment to look over at Gabriella, who was giving him an imploring look with her eyes to not fight tonight. Troy nodded his head in agreement with her wishes before he turned his attention back to his opponent. "You heard the lady, she would rather us not fight over a non-existent issue."

This enraged Riley even more so he acted on his impulse and launched himself at Troy, bringing both of them down to the ground where they began to wrestle and throw punches where they could.

Gabriella watched from the sidelines, wanting to break it up but unable to see where she could successfully pull them apart. She forgot about her stinging cheek as she began to worry more for Troy's safety as she heard the sounds of bone meeting bone through layers of skin and clothing.

Within a few moments, Chad and Jason were able to pull Troy away from Riley while two of Riley's teammates did the same with him. Security finally made it and eyed the two boys who were now bruised and bleeding. "Both of you, out!" called out a guard.

There were immediate protests from the crowd.

"West High started it!"

"East High is lying!"

"Riley threw the first punch!"

"Bolton insulted Riley and his girl!"

"ENOUGH!" yelled another guard. "If you want to continue this dance, I suggest you all be quiet."

"Now, you three, and you three, outside, now," instructed a third guard, pointing to Riley and his teammates as well as Troy and his two friends.

"Troy!" called out Gabriella, unable to help herself as tears filled her eyes again at the thought that Troy was about to get into big trouble because of her.

He turned his head towards her and gave her a reassuring smile after Troy saw her mouth, "I'm sorry."

After the two groups of guys were gone, the DJ started playing music again but Gabriella still felt that there were too many pairs of eyes watching her at the moment. Sensing her unease, Taylor and Tessa both wrapped an arm around their friend.

"Come on Gabriella, let's go," said Tessa, shooting glares at the people who dared to give her friend dirty looks. When they got to Sarah's car, they were about to get in when Tessa realized Taylor was backing away. "Tay, do you have a ride?"

"No, I'll just get a cab or something," replied Taylor, stopping her retreat.

"No way, get in the car," stated Sarah. "We are not leaving you here after what just happened."

"But I live out of your way," protested Taylor.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Just get in silly. I think we can use the talk time anyway. We have thirty minutes before Gabriella turns into a pumpkin, which is enough time to get you home and then her, right on time."

Taylor threw Gabriella a questioning look, not knowing how Gabriella felt about East High students at the moment. "Come on Taylor, I know you aren't anything like Alicia, far from it," invited Gabriella, feeling Taylor's uncertainty.

Gabriella scooted over to the middle seat in the back so Taylor could climb into the car, giving her a smile. Sarah then started up the car and reversed out of her spot, exiting the parking lot within moments.

"Wait, what about Troy?" said Gabriella, worry evident in her voice.

"Don't worry about him Gaby," soothed Tessa. "He's got his friends. They'll make sure he's okay."

"Yeah Gabriella. Chad and Jason will stand by him and support him. I'm sure Zeke is also on his way to help save the day, they are inseparable like that. Troy will be fine," assured Taylor.

Gabriella sighed. "I guess you are right," she said. She still felt bad though over the mess he was involved in because of her so Gabriella pulled out her cell phone and decided to text him.

_**I'm so sorry about tonight, I hope you are okay. I'd understand if you never want to talk to me again but I needed to say that I am very sorry. Oh, and thank you for the dance. You just might be a better dancer than you are a singer, maybe.**_

She pressed send and heard a giggle from both girls she sat between. "What?"

"If you weren't infatuated with him before, you are so under Troy Bolton's spell now," teased Tessa, who had read the message over her friend's shoulder.

Gabriella didn't say anything further while she slipped her phone back into her purse but shook her head at her friend's antics. 'I know it'll be a while until she drops this but tonight, the way Troy made me feel again, was all worth it,' thought Gabriella with a dreamy smile as she thought back to the dance and those magical kisses.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The actual, normal Sunday morning came around, and Gabriella found herself sitting in a diner waiting for Troy to appear. The two had texted each other back and forth earlier since Troy wasn't supposed to be on his cell phone and agreed to meet to finally talk. Gabriella nervously checked her watch again and saw that it was five minutes past eleven. Troy was officially late.

Just as that thought formed in her head though, she heard the bell on the front door and looked up, connecting with those caring blue eyes of his. Troy spotted her after looking around the room and grinned as he walked over. She winced though as he came closer and his bruises became more evident, especially the shiner right under his right eye.

Hearing a gasp from her, Troy shook his head. "Don't worry Gabriella, it looks far worse than it really feels. Good morning by the way."

After getting her wits back together, she smiled back at him and said, "Good morning. Have a seat?"

"Gladly," returned Troy as he slid into the booth across from her. "I can't stay too long because I'm grounded but I had to see you."

"Troy, I don't want to get you into any more trouble," protested Gabriella.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. My parents are out at a friend's for brunch but I have a rough estimate of when they are coming back. Chad actually just dropped me off and is coming back for me in an hour and a half."

Gabriella sighed. "God, you really did get in a lot of trouble then earlier this morning."

Troy shrugged. "Sort of but it's all right. Being grounded isn't that bad right now. Basketball season is over and golf starts in two weeks. No harm. What I want to talk about though is you, and us," said Troy, looking Gabriella directly in the eyes.

"Morning, I'll be your waiter for this late morning. What can I get you two?" asked the waiter who came over.

"Pancakes with just butter and crispy bacon please. A large orange juice too please," said Gabriella, giving Troy some time to look over the menu.

"Got it. And you sir?" asked the waiter.

"Umm, the two eggs with hash browns and crispy bacon as well. Eggs scrambled with Swiss cheese and sourdough toast, thanks," ordered Troy. "Oh, and a large orange juice as well."

"I'll get it in right away and bring your drinks back shortly," responded the waiter, leaving the two to talk finally.

"So, back to what we are here to talk about. Gabriella, I know last night, rather this early morning, probably seemed really crazy to you," stated Troy. "What I want you to know though is that even though I would defend you however I needed to, that fight last night has been brewing for years. Riley just used you as an excuse to start it when he's really been after me for a while. You saw what happened out on the court at the game and that was even before he knew I was interested in you."

"Well yeah but I don't think Riley would have punched you like he did last night without a reason," replied Gabriella, playing back the incident in her mind.

"That's just it, he had no real reason except for maybe jealousy, but that's nothing you did on your part Gabriella, honestly. I don't want you blaming yourself, okay?"

Gabriella nodded. "I can't promise but I'll try."

"Well that's good enough for now. So, to talk about the real irony of our situation, how did we end up meeting such a far distance from Albuquerque for the first time at the ski lodge those few weeks back if we both lived here?" asked Troy, interested on her take on things.

"Actually, that's a simple answer," replied Gabriella with a small smile. "My family, we just moved here about two weeks ago. I lived in South Carolina before here and a few other states within the lifetime of my scholastic career thus far."

"Really? So you just so happened to move to New Mexico after we met?" questioned Troy, not believing the real quirk of fate that brought the two together again.

"Well it had been in the works before our winter holiday at the ski lodge but I didn't know you were here," she said. "Remember, we never really got the chance to talk about our specific hometowns or even states for that matter that night and you never called me."

"Hey, you didn't call me either! Also, I was actually in the process of asking where you were from when you vanished to go find your mom I'm guessing," defended Troy. "What a small world."

Gabriella laughed. "You could say that again. So, yes, that's my story. I've been a West High Knight for only about two weeks and already understand that there is this huge rivalry between the schools and see that clearly, Riley and you do not get along."

"To say it lightly, yes," agreed Troy. "You know, you could transfer to East." Troy wiggled his eyebrows at this, which indicated that he was teasing her.

"Well I could but gosh, there's no real reason to. I mean, I have some cool friends already at West and there's this one hunky basketball captain that just seems to have my attention. He's so drool worthy. No, becoming a Wildcat so wouldn't be worth it," joked Gabriella in a very overdramatized voice.

Troy immediately protested, despite the joke. "Hey! That's so not nice! Really though, I want to continue seeing you but I don't want you to feel like we're sneaking around or anything. I know a certain hunky captain who would kill if he knew our association went beyond last night. I just don't want to see you hurt is all."

"And tell me Troy, if I went to East, would it be that much better? From what I hear, your cliques are so tightly wound themselves you guys never mingle together within your same school. At least at West, it's not quite so bad. There is some mingling and no one buzzes about it being a federal offense for an artist to speak to a jock, err athlete," responded Gabriella.

He chuckled at her slip up. "That's fine, I'm used to being called a jock. So what high school stereotype do you fall into Gabriella?"

"Depends on which school you are talking about. When I was a Beaver, I was a nobody; when I was a Tiger, I was the shy artist; when I was a Mariner, I was the drama girl; when I was a Warrior, I was the freaky math girl, and now as a Knight, I'm the girl who caused probably one of the most talked about fights at a Masquerade Ball ever while being invisible. Gotta admit, that's an accomplishment for someone no one really knows."

"That is, until last night," said Troy as the waiter set their juices in front of them and left. "And again, Gabriella, you weren't the cause of the fight. It's been going on for years and I don't want to hear you blame yourself any further. So, those are a lot of titles you possess in your almost three years of high school. Do you reinvent yourself every time you move?"

"Not necessarily reinvent as much as just be myself and let the school decide where I fall. It is possible for people to be multitalented and have various interests you know Mr. Jock."

Both laughed at this while they sipped their orange juice. "I know, it's just, as you said, East is very much like tunnel vision, where someone is either one thing or another, not both. I guess knowing what I know about you being multitalented, I don't blame you for not wanting to come over to our school, although it's hard to believe that West is better than East in something."

"Hey, I am not saying that West is perfect and accepts everyone, far from it. If that was true, you and I would not have to worry about being friends and being students of rival schools."

'Friends,' thought Troy, feeling disappointment. 'She only wants to be friends.'

Gabriella saw Troy's expression change and became concerned. "What's wrong Troy? Something bothering you?"

Troy cleared his throat, trying to decide if he wanted to admit his true thoughts to her. "Well, actually, I was hoping that we could be more than friends Gabriella. I know it is sudden, but I've lost you already, technically, and I don't want to lose you again."

Gabriella felt a deep blush adorn her cheeks and averted her eyes from his, not able to really dare to look at him again. When she finally got the courage to, she found that Troy was still intently staring at her. "Look Troy, since you are being so honest with me, I want to return the favor. I do like you, a lot, but I wouldn't feel right about starting something with you, even just casual dating, right after you broke up with your girlfriend of however long just earlier this morning. I'm not that type of girl who is okay with being a rebound."

"But you wouldn't be and aren't a rebound," protested Troy. "Alicia and I dated for little over a month, we got together right before winter break, and to be truthful, half of that time I was thinking of a dark brown haired beauty who is sitting right in front of me."

She felt his blue eyes staring at her, genuine care evident in those orbs, while Gabriella felt herself blush again. "As nice as that is to hear, I would still feel like you are just rebounding and moving on to me because you didn't want to be alone or something. Besides, I've never really been a girl to date before."

Troy stared at her in disbelief. "Now, now I know you are lying. That's impossible!"

"What's impossible? That I haven't dated or that I feel like you may be rebounding despite your claims?"

"Well I can understand the rebound feeling, even if it isn't true, but the never dating is what I'm questioning. I just can't believe a wonderful girl like you would be boyfriendless now or before."

"Trust me, it's true. Between the moving and, well, other reasons, it just hasn't worked out for me."

Troy reached over and placed a gentle hand over Gabriella's right one that was resting on the table and then laced their fingers together. "But it could work now."

Gabriella returned his gaze and felt an unfamiliar sensation rush through her as she stared into his eyes, a type of melting. 'God, how silly am I getting?' she thought to herself as she bit the corner of her lip.

Their breakfast was served just then, interrupting any type of response she would have given Troy while Troy reluctantly let go of her hand. Both started eating and shared some small talk in between bites until both were done, both hungry and not really favoring the idea of having a serious talk while chewing food in their mouths.

After the plates were cleared, Troy reached over again and laced their fingers together, their hands resting on the table. "Is there anything I can do change your mind?" he asked, knowing in his gut already her answer.

Gabriella shook her head, her eyes full of regret and resolve. "No, unfortunately. Troy, why don't we just be friends for now? I don't want to rush anything and as far as I know, I'll be here in New Mexico until graduation so I don't think I'm vanishing anytime soon. Let's just give this time Troy. If you think about it, we've only really spoken three times in the past month and some odd. Let's get to know each better first and then if we are still interested in each other, we'll see where things go then."

"I can tell you already that I'll still be interested, more besotted than I am now I bet even, but if you want to take it slow, if that's what makes you comfortable, I'm willing to do that. I'll wait for however long it takes Gabriella," said Troy, looking Gabriella directly in the eyes so she knew he was telling her the truth.

"Thank you," she murmured, giving him a small smile. "By the way, since I know your first and last name, I think it's only fair I tell you mine. It's Gabriella Montez."

Troy grinned. "You read my thoughts straight out of my head there, Miss Montez. I was just thinking I had no idea what your last name is. So no more hiding from my calls and texts, right?"

Gabriella laughed. "Promise. After all, friends don't hide from each other and I will also try to keep Tessa from playing with my phone as well."

He quirked an eyebrow at this. "What has your good friend been doing with your phone?"

"Oh, just calling you for me once she learned about a certain guy who was on my mind that I was too shy about calling," admitted Gabriella, realizing too late what she just said.

Troy chuckled at the deep blush that reappeared on her face. "So you were thinking of me just as much, huh? Well, I must say I'm flattered and I have to thank Tessa. Without her interference, I would never have figured out you were here now."

"I guess so," replied Gabriella.

The check was placed on the table and Troy grabbed it before Gabriella could even think to reach for it. "My treat!"

"No way, come on Troy!" complained Gabriella. "I am not letting you treat me to brunch after what happened last night."

"Yes you are because I know I worried you too and stop mentioning last night like it was your fault. I told you, it was totally not," stated Troy as he pulled out enough money for the bill and a generous tip.

Gabriella sighed. "Fine. Thank you for brunch Troy, even though you didn't have to."

"I know I didn't have to. It was my pleasure."

The two continued to talk, getting to know each other much better, losing track of time until Chad came into the diner and stopped at the table the two were sitting at. He eyed the goofy smile on his best friend's face and the sweet smile on the girl's face that sat across him. 'Oh God help us, they're so falling for each other,' thought Chad before he cleared his throat, causing both of them to look up.

"Chad!" exclaimed Troy, immediately looking at his watch and seeing he was twenty minutes over their agreed upon pick up time. "Crap, I didn't realize that much time had passed."

"Clearly," Chad replied rather dryly. He saw the girl look at him with a curious expression on her face so he stuck his hand out to her. "I'm Chad Danforth by the way, Troy's best friend since pre-school."

Gabriella rewarded him with a nice smile before taking his hand and shaking it. "Gabriella Montez, new friend of Troy's."

'Not for long,' thought Chad ironically, knowing his best friend well enough to know that wouldn't keep him satisfied for long by the look on his face.

She continued. "It's good to finally officially meet you. You did really well at the Championship game, by the way. I was pretty impressed."

It was Chad's turn to grin widely at her. "Thanks, I appreciate that. It was a tough game but I think the right team won."

Troy laughed a little, seeing that instant approval of Gabriella in Chad's body language. 'Just took one sincere compliment and she has him around her finger. Talk about hysterical. Then again, I'm not much better when it comes to this girl,' thought Troy with a smile of his own.

Troy got up from the table and helped Gabriella get out from the booth before the three headed outside of the diner, Troy knowing he would be cutting it close to beating his parents home. "Well, I guess this is good-bye for now. I'll text you my IM and email so maybe we can keep in touch that way. I'm supposed to be grounded from my cell, which means I'll probably have it taken away this afternoon after my parents remember that I have it still."

Gabriella nodded her head. "Sounds good. You better go. I don't want you in any more trouble than you already are."

Chad waved good-bye to her before he got into his car, giving the two some privacy to say farewell.

"You know, he's not anywhere as bad as I thought he would be," commented Gabriella, earning a laugh from Troy.

"No, he's a pretty good guy at heart once you get to know him. Anyway, I'll see you soon, new friend, promise," replied Troy before he pulled Gabriella into a tight hug, which she returned.

Both felt the chemistry again that flowed between them as they pulled away and Troy had to control himself to limiting his kiss to just her cheek before he completely pulled away from her embrace. "Bye Gabriella."

"Bye Troy," murmured Gabriella, a small smile on her lips as she gently touched the cheek he had kissed while Chad pulled out of the parking lot and journeyed to Troy's house. 'God, how am I going to stay just friends with this guy when he always makes me feel this way?'


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

'Valentine's Day, the day for lovers,' thought Gabriella as she groggily looked at her calendar to see if she had anything to do later that day after school before she dragged herself into her bathroom to get ready for school. After she brushed her teeth, washed her face, and applied some light makeup, Gabriella moved back into her bedroom. Once she applied lotion to her body, she went to her walk in closet and selected a cute pink and white skirt that fell down to the top of her knees and a white sweater set. 'May as well dress for the holiday even if I don't have anyone to really share it with.'

"Gabriella, you look beautiful today," greeted Annette, who eyed her daughter as she came into the nook. "Dressed for Valentine's Day, huh?"

"May as well. I don't want to be the Grinch of this holiday."

Annette laughed. "As I've always said, no matter the situation, my daughter always finds the positive spirit and embraces it, holiday or ordinary day."

"Haha," returned Gabriella. "I better get going. It looks like I'm running late already."

Gabriella kissed her mother's cheek before she grabbed a breakfast bar and dashed out of the house, slowing only after she saw something sitting on her car's windshield. She felt herself smile as she saw a medium sized white teddy bear with a red heart in its grasp. There was also a small bouquet of daisies and a card that read her name. 'Could this be from Mom or maybe, dare I hope, someone else?' she wondered, putting the items in her bag before getting into the car. 'Unfortunately, I do not have the luxury of time to find out just right now. Gotta get to school!'

- - -

Gabriella made it just in time for first period, taking her seat next to Tessa just as the bell rang. Announcements promptly started, giving Gabriella enough time to pull out her English notebook and the book they were currently reading. Seeing that announcements were a bit longer than normal, Gabriella pulled out the card that was with the bear and daisies, not able to resist the excitement she felt at learning who the sweet gifts were from.

Tessa watched as Gabriella's face lit up while she read a card, a Valentine's Day card Tessa assumed, chuckling softly as she saw a dreamy look cross Gabriella's face. "From Troy?" asked Tessa quietly.

Gabriella blushed and nodded her head confirming Tessa's suspicions as her friend slipped the card back in the envelope and back into her bag. In the process, Tessa spotted a bunch of daisies and a bear, which she also assumed were from Troy. 'Man, if he doesn't win this girl's heart completely soon, she will prove the grass really isn't green outside,' thought Tessa with a smile, glad to see her friend so happy.

Mr. Eckman cleared his throat as soon as announcements were done and started his lecture on the themes of the first half of the book they were expected to have read in the past week. As the lecture continued, Gabriella's mind slowly focused not on the words on the board but on the words that were on the card that Troy had written himself after all the preprinted sayings.

_**Happy Valentine's Day, Gabriella! These are a just a token of my appreciation of you and our relationship, whatever it may be today and tomorrow and beyond. I know we are just friends at the moment, but I picture us to be much more in the near future, when the time is right. I told you that I'd never lose interest in you as you truly have captivated my heart and mind, even if you are a West High Knight. Enjoy this day of love and know you have the respect and admiration of this East High Wildcat. Forever yours, Troy  
**_  
Gabriella unknowingly let out a sigh, catching Mr. Eckman's attention. "Miss Montez, is there something you find dreamy about World War II's influence on the author or is that sigh just a symptom of Valentine's Day?"

She blushed, knowing she had gotten caught and had no easy way out. Thinking quickly, she said, "Sorry Mr. Eckman, but I was just sighing about all the emotions and feelings and thoughts that people during those times must have felt. I mean, any war causes a lot of emotional as well as physical and economical damage to the world and to the people it involves, near or far from it. This also includes losing loved ones, which I think is something that did touch the author deeply as a matter of fact as he spends quite a bit of time talking about tortured love, maybe not directly but definitely between the lines."

To her surprise, Mr. Eckman just nodded his head, showing his approval of what she said. "I stand corrected. Thank you for saying the first valid thought on the novel today, Miss Montez. Now, moving on…"

Tessa shot Gabriella a discreet thumb up sign as she knew her good friend really pulled that out of the air and proved that her acting and improvisational skills were far better than any other average West High student.

Gabriella made sure to concentrate for the rest of class so she wouldn't be caught again and was relieved when the bell rang, giving her a break to have her thoughts back to herself, or so she thought.

She was pulling out her second and third period materials from her locker when she felt breathing on her neck. Gabriella closed her eyes for a moment before she reopened them and zipped up her bag, desperately hoping it wasn't who she thought it was. Her hopes were dashed though as she saw that particular person in front of her as she closed her locker and turned around. "Hi Riley," she greeted, forcing a smile on her lips.

Riley grinned down at her, putting his right hand next to her head against the locker. "Happy Valentine's Day Gabriella. What time should I pick you up for our date tonight?"

"Umm, Happy Valentine's Day to you too Riley, but I don't remember you asking me on a date for tonight," returned Gabriella.

"I did just now. So what time should I be there?"

Tessa just walked by and shot a Gabriella a look, which she returned telling Tessa to just wait a few moments so she could handle Riley but also giving her a way out of this situation. "Actually, I'm sorry Riley. Tessa and I, along with a few of the girls, well we made plans for a single girl's Valentine's Day night tonight. Besides Riley, I thought we were just going to be friends."

Riley smirked. "I know you didn't think that. Come on Gabriella, you're beautiful, I'm popular. Why on Earth would we not date each other?"

"Because I don't want a boyfriend right now or even want to date at the moment?" offered Gabriella, slowly becoming desperate for some type of save from this.

After taking a few moments to study her, Riley dropped his smirk and Gabriella saw his brown eyes darken with what looked like could be anger. "But you are dating that jerk Bolton aren't you? AREN'T YOU?"

"NO!" exclaimed Gabriella, glad at the moment that this was the truth. "Why would you even think that?"

"Well, it is logical since you were with him at the Masquerade Ball. I told him to stay away from you after that but knowing that dweeb, he probably pursued you out of spite for me. You know West High guys are far superior to those East High losers. Come on Gabriella, why won't you go out with me if you aren't with Bolton?" demanded Riley.

Gabriella sighed. "Look Riley, I told you this from the start. I just want to be friends with you and any other guy that I have met in my life thus far at the moment and I wish you would just respect that. I'm not seeing Troy, honest."

Riley examined Gabriella's body language and finally decided that she was telling him the truth. "Fine, we'll scratch tonight, but I vow here and now that you and I will be going on a date one day soon, mark my words Gabriella Montez."

Before Gabriella could respond, Tessa made her way over to the two and grabbed Gabriella's hand. "Come on Gabriella, we're going to be late if we don't run to second period like now," said Tessa, not even giving Riley a look as she pulled Gabriella down the hall with her to their class.

Once safely inside, Gabriella took her seat, which was behind Tessa and let out a huge sigh. "What do I have to do to get him to let up?"

Tessa sympathetically shook her head and patted Gabriella's hands that were resting on the desk. "I fear you'd have to move," answered Tessa. "I wanted to give you the time to say no to him before I pulled you away so he wouldn't bother you for the rest of today but that vow of his, ugh, total typical macho jock behavior."

"You don't have to tell me about it. I was there, remember?" reminded Gabriella, still upset over the episode in the hallway.

"Hey, Gaby, come on now. Don't let that jerk bring down the happy mood you were in earlier this morning. That New Year's guy of yours is sure special. I can tell you really have feelings for him now that go beyond what you had a few weeks ago for him. We really need a code name for him while at school," replied Tessa.

"Yort?" suggested Gabriella, giggling at the notion herself.

Tessa rolled her eyes but was glad to see that smile back on Gabriella's face. "Do you really want me to say out loud 'Gaby, that guy of yours, Yort, he sure is dreamy'? I think that sounds far more retarded than anything else."

"Then let's not use a codename and just call him by name. Besides, it's not like we talk about him all the time and he isn't my guy, we're just friends," stated Gabriella.

"Yeah, now maybe, but I can see this little thing you have with him escalating to being something far more serious than just little friends soon. Whether you know it or not Gabriella, you are falling for him just as he is you and when that happens, I want you to embrace it, but with the macho jock around, we need to keep you protected from him. Think about it and we'll come up with a name later," returned Tessa.

Gabriella was unable to say anything further on the matter as the teacher finally arrived late into class. Ms. Price immediately called their attention to the board where there were equations set up. "Class, I'm sorry I'm late but I want you to start copying down these equations and work them out with a partner. These will be on your next test so I suggest you use this time wisely and make sure you understand them."

Tessa gave Gabriella one last look before turning back around in her seat and to give the equations her full attention, already seeing the solutions forming in her mind.

- - -

The lunch bell rang throughout the halls of East High, relieving Troy from another boring Chemistry class. 'I really don't have a head for science, that's for sure,' thought Troy as he made his way to his locker.

Once he had his stuff for the last periods of the day and his lunch, Troy walked with Zeke to the cafeteria and joined Chad and Jason, who were already seated and chowing down on their lunches. The guys immediately started talking about the different sports they were playing at the moment in between bites of their food. Troy was just listening to Chad's talk about the latest technique he developed for pitching when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. When he pulled it out, he saw that he had a text message.

_**Thank you so much for the daisies and the bear, along with the sweet card. It's nice to know you haven't forgotten me yet. Happy Valentine's Day Wildcat.  
**_  
Troy grinned and immediately texted Gabriella back.

_**I'd never forget you, ever. U R 2 sweet 2 B 4gotten. How's that for yearbook talk? ;)  
**_  
He sent the message back to her and put the phone back in his pocket, looking up to see his three friends staring back at him. "What?"

Chad rolled his eyes. "Let us guess, Gabriella texts?"

"Maybe," responded Troy, not looking any of them in the eye.

Zeke chuckled. "That's a definite yes then. Man oh man, I have never seen any girl take over your sanity and concentration like this before! First the fight at the ball, which is the first time I have ever seen you fight, and now texting her at lunch, at school?"

"Yeah, aren't textbooks enough?" added Jason, immediately getting a kick under the table from Chad. "What?"

Chad and Zeke just chuckled at their friend. "Look Troy, we're just interested in this little thing you've got going on because it's not very typical Troy Bolton behavior, especially to go after a girl not even here at East," stated Chad.

"Is that what is bothering you three? That she's a Knight instead of a Wildcat?" questioned Troy.

Chad, Zeke, and Jason exchanged a look before Jason shook his head. "No. Just out of character is all."

"You mean out of the stereotype of the varsity basketball captain," challenged Troy.

Chad put up his hands up in surrender. "Easy there Troy. We were just saying that we are taking an interest in this development between you and your Knight girl because we are your friends. Sure we may tease you about it and may sometimes think it's weird, but if she makes you happy, then she makes you happy. As long as you aren't dating Alicia again or any of those other social ladder climbing girls, we'll support you, right boys?"

Zeke and Jason both nodded their agreement. "Although, speak of the devil," murmured Jason as he spotted Alicia fast approaching their table.

Troy turned and spotted Alicia almost right behind him. "Hi Troy," she greeted him.

"Umm, hi Alicia," returned Troy, suspicious at the sudden presence at the table.

"Can we maybe go talk?" asked Alicia in a rather quiet and sweet tone.

The three friends gave Troy a look when he nodded his agreement. Troy got up and followed Alicia out to the patio where they were still visible to the student body but a good distance away for anyone to hear. "What's up Alicia?"

"Troy, I'm sorry for my behavior at the ball. It was uncalled for and very immature. I just got upset when I saw you kiss that girl," said Alicia, looking slightly over Troy's shoulder, enough to make anyone think she was looking at him but Troy knew she wouldn't meet his eyes. "It was an honest, emotional response, but I forgive you for cheating on me and want you back."

'Ah, this is what she wants,' thought Troy. "I'm glad to hear that you've come to your senses Alicia, but it's a little too late to be getting back together. As cliché as this sounds, I would maybe like to be friends at least but I don't see us becoming a couple again, I'm sorry."

Tears filled Alicia's eyes, tears that seemed a little too forced for Troy's liking. "Troy, we were so perfect together. What happened?"

"We just grew apart, things changed, and the ball night was only the last of the events that kind of set us apart from each other. Look Alicia, it's just not going to work out for us romantically," replied Troy, just as his pocket started vibrating again.

Alicia noticed and was waiting to see Troy answer it but it looked like he planned on ignoring it. "Go ahead, answer it," said Alicia.

Troy shrugged and pulled his cell phone out, immediately seeing it was a text.

_**Have I mentioned lately what a dork you are? Maybe I should be calling you Prince Dorky instead of Charming. Hehe…  
**_  
Alicia watched as a smile crossed his face before he just slipped the phone back into his pocket after reading the text. "New girlfriend?" she ventured.

Troy shook his head. "No, just a friend," answered Troy, thankful that was the truth, for the moment.

However, Alicia wasn't buying it. She had noticed in the last few weeks that Troy hadn't been paying any attention to any of the East High girls, cheerleaders, drama divas, musicians, or anyone else, not a single one. Stupidly, Alicia had convinced herself that maybe he wasn't over her but that was definitely not the case, especially after he said what he did. "There's someone else, isn't there? That West High girl you were with that night!" accused Alicia.

Immediately, Troy's expression changed to a serious look. "Alicia, please, nothing is going on with her. Look, I came out here to talk with you about us, to give us the opportunity to talk, but if you are just going to accuse me of this and that, I have no desire to stay out here."

When Alicia didn't say anything, Troy gave her a nod as a good-bye and started to walk back to the cafeteria. He heard her voice carry to him as she yelled, "Troy, wait, I'm pregnant!"

"WHAT?" asked Troy, immediately turning around and glaring at his ex.

"You heard me, I'm pregnant," claimed Alicia, walking closer to him with a smirk on her face, one that got bigger when she realized students outside were trying to listen in on this conversation. "You are going to be a daddy Troy."

"That's bull crap and you know it Alicia!" argued Troy, louder than his normal voice and not caring who heard. "I hate to give you a crash course in sex education but you would have to have had sex to be pregnant with my child and I know we never even got close to it. Honestly, if you want to pull a stunt to try to keep me, think it out and be smart before claiming something that isn't physically possible!"

Alicia blushed as she heard the laughter from around the patio of those who were there to witness this event. "But we did have sex!" fought back Alicia.

"When? I sure don't remember it!" challenged Troy.

Alicia thought fast and said the first date that came to her head. "New Year's silly!"

Troy just stared at her for a few moments before he let out a cruel laugh. "New Year's? Really? Now I know either you are pregnant with another guy's baby or just lying through your teeth. Alicia, I was not even in New Mexico at that time, remember? My little vacation with my parents? Yeah, nice try but that's not going to work. You and I never did the act that would lead to a baby so I can confidently say your desperate attempt to keep me just failed."

She watched as he turned on his heel and started walking away from her again. Alicia was humiliated and angry but knew she needed the last word, the last shot. "Oh yeah Bolton? Well at least I am not a virgin!"

Troy just rolled his eyes at this and kept moving, not even wanting to get into that discussion with her. 'So what if I'm a virgin? I'm glad I didn't lose it to her. And her using New Year's as the supposed night, please. I was at the ski lodge… singing with Gabriella. Bet Alicia didn't know that night was so significant to me that I'd remember everything about it, especially the fact that I actually sang with a girl with a voice of an angel and got bitten by cupid's arrow early this year. God Troy, you really are a sap sometimes,' thought Troy as he took his seat back with his friends.

"What was that about?" asked Chad, starting to hear the whispers race across the cafeteria.

"Nothing, just Alicia wanting to get back together, accusing me of dating Gabriella already, then playing the desperate card of saying she was pregnant," explained Troy as he bit into his half eaten sandwich.

Zeke, Chad, and Jason all looked at their friend, surprised that he was this even keeled about the confrontation. "You call that nothing?" asked Jason. "A baby is a serious thing Troy, even I know that."

After finishing the bite that he had currently in his mouth, Troy nodded his head in agreement. "It is J, you are right, but it isn't when it can't possibly be yours."

"You mean you and Alicia never had sex?" asked Zeke.

"No man, he wouldn't have. Troy is still pure as the driven snow," supplied Chad, earning a nod from Troy agreeing. "A dying breed I tell ya!"

"But I thought you lost your virginity to the head cheerleader back in freshman year," stated Jason.

"And I thought you lost it to a college sophomore last year at the college party we went to," added Zeke. "Those were all false rumors?"

"Yup, apparently so. You know, before you believe all these rumors and crap that gets spread around about me, you as my close friends could just ask me," suggested Troy, some humor in his blue eyes.

"Yeah, Troy has always been very open and honest, that's how he gets ribbed a lot," confirmed Chad. "He may be the only virgin out of the four of us but Troy isn't ashamed of it, not at all."

"And my best friend apparently knows this because he bugs me about it all the time!" exclaimed Troy with a smile. "So, are we all satisfied with knowing the truth while a series of rumors are being spawned around East as we speak?"

The friends nodded their heads, still mystified by this truth that Zeke and Jason just learned about their friend and captain.

"You know, this rumor is probably going to make it to at least West. Maybe you should tell your lady love about it before she hears it," suggested Chad.

"Nah, no need. Gabriella isn't the type to believe in the gossip mill products and there will be so many versions by the time it reaches there, it'll be clear it's not the truth," returned Troy. "Thanks man for thinking about it though. Nice to see that you really do support me and my choices."

Chad grinned and slapped Troy on the back. "Hey, what are best friends for bud?"

Troy happily nodded his head as he polished off his sandwich just as the bell rang.

"Guess that bell signals the continuation of our day of torture. You would think they'd take it easy since today is supposed to be about love and happiness," remarked Zeke.

The rest of the guys chuckled. "Yeah, since when did that matter to teachers?" asked Chad as he got up and threw his trash out before coming back for his bag and basketball. "Come on Troy, English awaits."

"Coming," said Troy as he threw out his trash and came back for his bag before joining Chad for their journey to their next class.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A month later, Tessa and Gabriella were in Gabriella's room trying to find an existing outfit in Gabriella's closet that would be worthy to wear to West High's Spring Fling that was in the third week of March, next week. After a few suggestions made by Gabriella to Tessa for approval, Gabriella gave up and plopped herself down on her queen sized bed to allow Tessa full range to search in her closet. "Honestly Tessa, I don't see why it matters what I wear to this dance."

Tessa popped her head out of the closet to give Gabriella a stern look. "Umm, hello, it's only the first official West High dance you are going to be going to! You've been in the spotlight of sorts of this school since the ball and I refuse to let my good friend go to her next dance in just random rags she pulls out of her closet! We have to make sure you look stunning to shut up all those idiots who are gossiping about you still and who think it's all right to talk crap about one of my best friends."

Gabriella sighed. "I wish they would just stop, honestly. I don't wish for anything more than for them to stop, except for maybe Riley to finally take a hint and leave me alone. He has made it clear that he doesn't want to be just friends and I think I've made it clear that I don't want to date him so we're at this weird stand still since he won't leave me alone."

"Aww, poor baby. It must be so tough for you to have two popular basketball captains vying for your attention," teased Tessa before she went back into Gabriella's walk in closet but continued to talk. "Honestly Gabriella, I don't know what to tell you. You've got this great thing with Troy and you seem smitten yet you refuse to date him. And then you've got Riley, who is easy on the eyes but not so much on the mind. To top it off, you can't even be seen with the one you really like because of this stupid tension between the schools, not to mention both guys don't really like each other, to put it lightly. And, of course, there is the high school social suicide you would commit if anyone ever found out that you were merely friends with the dude."

"Exactly why I haven't acted on my feelings for Troy," responded Gabriella, laying back on her bed, her head resting on a pillow. "I'm not stupid enough to try to lie to you, not to mention I don't lie to my good friends, so I have to admit that I really and truly more than just like Troy now, especially after Valentine's Day and the few outings we've been able to have together since then. Yet I can't let myself get in any deeper with him because I know he'll get hurt somehow and I couldn't stand that. I can deal with the name calling and the nasty looks I get from girls and guys alike at school but I can't deal with the image of Troy paying the price for being associated with me."

Tessa came out of the closet and actually sat down on the bed next to Gabriella this time, knowing she needed to sit in front of her good friend for the rest of this conversation. "Look Gabriella, you can't let this stupid rivalry between East and West prevent you from living your dream of being with an amazing guy. It's not fair. I even suspect that if a black eye were the price for being with you, Troy Bolton would happily pay it. However, I also know the risk you would be taking to be with him. There's an urban myth of sorts of a couple trying it before and, well, let's just say that it ended tragically, sort of like _Romeo and Juliet_ minus the actual deaths."

"Great, this is exactly the opposite of what I wanted to hear Tessa," stated Gabriella, closing her eyes. She opened them again as she heard her cell phone go off, playing the ringtone she especially picked out for Troy. Unfortunately, before she could get to it, Tessa got her hands on the phone first after seeing Troy's picture come up.

"Well hello Troy! How are you?" greeted Tessa in a flirty voice.

Troy rolled his eyes, glad she couldn't see him because he knew she would have wacked him hard for it. He had gotten to know Tessa better as they had all been hanging out at random times and genuinely liked Gabriella's close friend. "Hi Tessa. I'm good, how are you doing?"

"Just peachy, thanks for asking. So when are you going to ask dear Gaby out on an official date?" pushed Tessa.

"TESSA!" screamed Gabriella, blushing at what just happened.

Troy chuckled. "I bet she's blushing right now, isn't she?"

"You got it right on the nose," confirmed Tessa, laughing at her friend's blush that was currently combined with a murderous look thrown her way. "Uh oh, looks like I'm in trouble. I better hand you over to your lady friend."

"You bet you better," said Gabriella before she took the offered phone from Tessa, who returned to the walk in closet to continue her search. "Hey Troy, sorry about that."

"No worries, I'm used to Tessa by now. It's a good thing the three of us have hung out along with your other close friends and some of mine otherwise I would have never understood this friendship you share with that girl," said Troy. "Although, I do have to say I like her and not just because she's in favor of us being an official item someday soon."

"Troy, stop," replied Gabriella. "You know why we can't."

"Well I know the reasons we talked about a month and a half ago, which consisted of you feeling like you are a rebound girl and that we didn't know much of each other. I think we know each other pretty well now and there's been a month and a half of just being friends so you can't be considered a rebound girl any more. What else is there to be in the way?" asked Troy.

Gabriella just shook her head. "First of all, rebounding can be done even in a year if the person who was in the relationship has not resolved his feelings about the past relationship and person while being accepting of being just by himself again. Second, I do agree we know each other better. However, there's a big point you are missing."

"And that is?" prompted Troy.

"This stupid tension between our schools," answered Gabriella. "I don't want you getting hurt Troy, especially if it is over something as silly as dating me. Sure I don't positively know that something will happen to you, but if the load of drama and problems I've been given at West is any hint of what's to come if we are open about a friendship between us, let alone a relationship, I know there's going to be hell to pay."

"Dating you would never be silly Gabriella, never. I know you are worried about this stupid rivalry and I admit I used to be one of the bigger players in that, but ever since I met you, I've found I'm willing to risk it all just to be able to see you. We are already chancing fate by being friends from the rival schools, why not step it up a level?"

Gabriella sighed, knowing that Troy had a point. 'Troy is so sweet and caring and his friends Chad, Jason, and Zeke seem to be supportive of his decision to associate himself with me, but I would never be able to forgive myself if something happened to him. I know he keeps bringing up the idea of us being a couple, of dating each other, and instead of finding it annoying like I feel when Riley hounds me, I find it strangely endearing that he cares that much for me. God, my life really is starting to remind me a little about _West Side Story_ or even _Romeo and Juliet_. Two people who care deeply for one another but have how many other people to consider in their relationship. What if we do get together? Would we have an ending just like the couple in both of those works?'

"Gabriella, are you still there?" asked Troy, worried she had hung up after he didn't hear anything further from the other side of the line.

"Yeah, I'm here. Look Troy, I just don't know if there will ever be an us. Being friends, sneaking around to places to just plain hang out, is bad enough. Can you imagine trying to hold a relationship together while trying to hide it from the world? Relationships are hard enough on a normal basis, but when you add in the thoughts and feelings of others who we go to school with, not to mention our family and friends, there are just too many people involved to get hurt."

Troy let out a frustrated sigh. "But that's something I don't think you recognize, that your true friends and your loved ones will still stand by your side as long as you are happy, even if your boyfriend is a Wildcat and not a Knight. I know that's something I learned when my friends surprisingly showed me their support. Honestly, I never thought they would have, especially J and Zeke. But they proved me wrong and showed me that friendship is more than paper thin. What has you so afraid Gabriella? What has been happening at West that you haven't been telling me?"

Gabriella paused, debating on whether or not she should tell him what her life really has been like since the Masquerade Ball. "To be honest, your Valentine's Day surprise, our outings with our friends, my mother, and my close friends here are the only reasons why I sit here on my bed today, a fairly normal teenage girl. If you want the truth, you'll get it but be warned it's not pretty."

"Tell me Gabriella, you can trust me," encouraged Troy from the other line.

After a few moments of hesitation, Gabriella decided to tell him what he wanted to know. "Well, on a very high level, life at West High is difficult and it isn't just because I'm the new girl in town. No, I now have the title of being the new girl in town who is the slut who caused Riley to get in trouble at the Ball and yet they all know that Riley still wants to date me, he makes no secret of it. There's constant whispering and glares and to be honest, other things that I could care less about on a normal basis."

"So why does it matter now?" pushed Troy.

"Because, I care about you Troy. I can take them talking about me, spinning lies about me to spread around, but when I heard them talk crap about you and our supposed relationship they are all speculating about, I don't know, it just upsets me more. It's stupid, especially since you and I don't have a relationship, but that's what it is. I can't explain it any better," said Gabriella, wondering if she did the right thing to tell him.

Troy let out a sad sigh. "I had no idea it was that bad for you. Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"I don't know, because it's not your problem and I didn't want you to worry about me. You may not be experiencing anything at East, but West definitely holds onto this rivalry with the edges of their fingernails dug in, ready to explode. I'm seen as a traitor yet no one will make a move against me because Riley, for some strange reason, is still pursuing, and they know that if anyone touched me while I have his interest, well let's just say that he wouldn't hesitate to turn on one of his own, or so I have heard."

"Gabriella, that's no situation for you to be in. Why don't you convince your mom to ask for a transfer to East? I can't protect you from anyone at West if I'm not there," stated Troy.

"This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you Troy," returned Gabriella. "I know you care, and I do appreciate that, but I don't want you getting involved and getting hurt. I'll be fine and Tessa here isn't going to let anyone hurt me if she can help it."

Tessa poked her head out of the closet at the mention of her name and grinned to confirm what Gabriella said before ducking back in.

"You know, it's too late for that Brie. I'm already involved, since the moment we sang together on New Year's," responded Troy, genuine emotions in his voice. "I'd do anything to protect you from all those idiots at West."

"Wait a second. What did you just call me?" asked Gabriella, unsure if she heard him right.

"Umm… Brie? I kind of started thinking of you as my Brie since Gabriella is obviously used by everyone else and Tessa calls you Gaby every once in a while. Is that okay?" questioned a now shy Troy.

"Brie… that's very sweet of you Troy," remarked Gabriella. "I like it and by telling how quiet your voice just got, I'm betting you are blushing right now, aren't you?"

Troy chuckled. "Guilty. Look, I know you are Ms. Independent over there, but it's okay to have people be concerned for you, and may I say even as friends, it is not fair for Tessa to be the only one able to protect you."

"Trust me, being there for me the way you have been via phone, internet, and our few outings, that's more than enough for me," replied Gabriella.

"So, what do you say to going out with me then, next Saturday perhaps?" asked Troy, praying she would say yes.

Gabriella's face lit up at the prospect of seeing him again before it dropped seeing Tessa walk out with two dresses in her hands, examining them herself while she showed them to Gabriella for approval. Both were dismissed. "I'm sorry Troy, I can't."

"Oh," said Troy, trying not to sound down. "I understand, have to wash your hair, right?"

She let out a little giggle at this. "No, more like being dragged to West's Spring Fling under Tessa's orders. She's convinced that we can shut all the catty girls there up by outdoing them all appearance wise. Tessa's actually digging through my closet as we speak trying to find the best dress I own for me to wear as I have sworn that I'm not spending a single penny on this dance if I'm being DRAGGED TO IT!"

Tessa rolled her eyes at this emphasis. "You'll thank me for it later. Trust me, unless you want to outright brawl physically, girl fighting is very strategic and showing up as the belle of the ball, you will be making a huge dent in their armor, trust me."

Gabriella watched as Tessa went back into the closet before shaking her head. "Stupid girl wars," mumbled Gabriella.

Troy laughed at this. "Well, I guess that is a good excuse. You must battle them somehow and even if you were wearing a paper sack, you'd still outshine those West girls by quite a bit, at least in my books," assured Troy. "Maybe another time?"

"I'll think about it, how about that?" offered Gabriella. "I'm still worried about this nonsensical violence and tension Troy."

"I know but I think we shouldn't limit ourselves due to the shortsightedness of our classmates Brie. Think it over and let me know. I'm willing to risk it to be with you as we should be, but only if you want to," replied Troy.

"I promise only to think about it Pookie," answered Gabriella.

"Pookie?" asked Troy.

Gabriella laughed. "Well you call me Brie, I had to call you something and Oy didn't sound right. I guess I'll have to think of something for you eventually."

Troy chuckled. "You have plenty of time to think of a nickname for me. Boyfriend does have a nice ring to it though."

Before Gabriella could say the witty reply that was on the tip of her tongue, she sat upright when she heard Tessa scream from inside her closet. "TESSA! Are you okay?"

Tessa just stepped out of the closet and looked at Gabriella. "Gaby, what is this?"

Gabriella looked at what Tessa was holding and paled. "Umm Troy, I have to go. I'll talk to you later okay?"

"Okay… Is everything all right?" asked a concerned Troy.

"Yeah, Tessa just found a spider. Bye!" said Gabriella before hanging up her cell phone and looking at her friend.

Tessa looked at the tiara in her hands and then back up to Gabriella. "What part of who you are, are you actually hiding Gabriella?"

Gabriella gulped, nervously biting the corner of her lip. 'Do I tell her?' she silently wondered as she surveyed Tessa's demeanor.

"Well?" prompted Tessa.

Gabriella made a quick decision, knowing Tessa would push for an answer. "Well what do you think? It's a homecoming tiara, all right?"

Tessa blinked rapidly for a few moments. "Wait, what?"

"Yeah, so I was a Homecoming princess at one of my old schools. Does that make me a bad person now?" questioned Gabriella, getting up from the bed and gently taking the tiara out of her friend's hands and placing it on her dresser gently. "Does that change who I am now?"

Tessa shook her head. "No, but it does put into question who the real Gabriella Montez is though. The smart shy girl or the artist or the popular girl?"

"I am what the school makes me out to be, just as I explained to Troy weeks ago at the diner. I have always lived my life the way that I see fit and if people judge me and type cast me then they do. I've gotten used to it," replied Gabriella. "It's when they start picking on my friends and loved ones that it matters."

"Ah, and so we get to the heart of the problem with you and Troy. I knew something those dogs at our school were saying was eating at you but you swore it wasn't what they were saying about you. I should have known," stated Tessa. "You're one of those selfless people who care more about others than yourself aren't you? Who am I kidding? I know you are. Gaby, you gotta listen to your heart here babe. If you are already getting flack, why not try and give this thing with Troy a chance? You clearly care for him."

"Umm hello, what about this urban myth you were just talking about before Troy called? I in no way care to have World War 3 break out because Troy and I care for each other. It's not worth it," stated Gabriella.

"But would the popular girl of your past let stupid gossips stand in her way? Would the artist in you care what the jocks thought? I don't think any of your other former personas would give it a second thought and I don't think who you are today should either. Yes, there is danger, which is why you need to be careful and not flaunt it around, but the people you have already surrounded yourself with and have shared your friendship and unnamed relationship with Troy with are those who won't even bat an eye at seeing you two together. Those three good friends of his are expecting it as well. Face it Gabriella, everyone but you sees this happening. Just use extra caution, that's all I can suggest," said Tessa. "And you were right when you told Troy I'd never let anyone mess with you. They'd have to get through me first and trust me, those sissy popular girls would never think of touching me, not after some of the history we've had."

Gabriella just stared at her friend. "Do I even want to know what you've done?"

"Let's just say that I am very capable of fighting dirty when in girl world wars. And I've won every single time, which is why I'm telling you that you are going to Spring Fling and will outshine them all if it's the last thing I do," proclaimed Tessa.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "All right, all right, I get the picture. Come on, maybe we'll find something suitable for your needs if we both look together."

Tessa grinned. "I knew you'd come around."

Both girls launched themselves back into Gabriella's closet together and eventually found what they were looking for. It took them two hours, but they were sure it was perfect for the occasion. 'Now, if only she could have the perfect date,' thought Tessa, an idea forming in her mind.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Tessa, Gabriella, Beth, and Sarah all arrived at West High's gym for the hyped up Spring Fling and weren't disappointed with the crowd. "Wow, every West student must be here. It's packed!" exclaimed Sarah.

"Yeah, it looks like more people are even dancing out on the floor than at the ball. Maybe it's because they know who they are dancing with?" commented Beth.

Gabriella gave her friend a look, who blushed immediately. "Don't worry Beth, no offense taken. Why don't we go and try to enjoy this night? After all, we may as well have some fun while we're here."

Tessa laughed. "Now there's the spirit, really Gabriella."

Gabriella rolled her eyes and linked arms with Tessa and Sarah who were next to her as the girls entered the gym further, trying not to trip over the ugly gray tarp that was rolled out to protect the gym floor as they made their way to the dancing area.

Several songs later, Gabriella couldn't shake the feeling of being heavily watched as she moved to the music, focusing on her friends dancing with her to the lively songs. She ventured a look around the room and immediately regretted it as she locked eyes with Riley. 'God, when is this guy going to give up?' she wondered, quickly looking away and concentrating on her friends again. 'Please let one of the true popular girls interfere and gain his whole attention, PLEASE!'

It was another song later when Gabriella actually felt a physical presence behind her this time, accompanying that feeling of being watched. One glance at Tessa and Gabriella knew that trouble was behind her. Closing her eyes for a moment, trying to gain her composure, proved to be a mistake as Riley evidently took it as a sign to move in on her dancing body, sliding his arms around her waist and pulling her up against his body. She stilled her movements at his action but that didn't bother Riley as he continued to dance up against her himself.

Sarah, Beth, and Tessa exchanged looks, not knowing what they should do to help their friend out. Gabriella saw this though and called them off with a look, knowing that she didn't want her friends to step in and get even worse reps than merely being tainted by being friends with a "traitor" or any of the other names she was called these days.

After not feeling Gabriella respond or start dancing again, Riley got frustrated and growled, "I've seen the way you can dance Gabriella. You better dance for me."

Chills went down through Gabriella's body and they were definitely not the good ones as she heard his gruff voice right next to her right ear. She tried her best to push her fear away while steeling herself for the next scene that would be sure to keep the tongues at West wagging. Firmly, Gabriella put her hands on Riley's arms that were wrapped around her waist and pushed at them, unable to break his hold completely but loosening it. "Let go Riley," demanded Gabriella, not liking the feeling of being this close to him.

"Why? I like my arms here, you tucked against my body like this," growled Riley after he pulled Gabriella closer to him and actually began kissing her neck.

Shudders went through Gabriella's body as repulsion swept over her like a tidal wave. Seeing no other option, Gabriella decisively planted her elbow into his side, not enough to really hurt Riley but enough to surprise him and to get him to drop his arms. "Well I don't," responded Gabriella, turning around and glaring at Riley. "Seriously Riley, why do you have to be this way? I've told you time and time again that we aren't meant to be and I'm not interested. There are plenty of other girls who would love a chance with you. Why don't you give them a chance and leave me alone?"

"Why? So you can continue to pine over East High's golden wimp? I don't think so. You know the only reason why you haven't been jumped is because you are under my protection Gabriella. I would think you'd be grateful instead of being this prude with me. My patience is wearing thin and I always get what I want," stated Riley, lowering his voice so only she could hear the last part.

"Not this time," responded Gabriella, refusing to be bullied by him. "I tried to be friends with you Riley but you clearly aren't interested and that's the only relationship you will ever have with me. Now please, leave me alone."

"Or else what?" countered Riley with a sneer. "You'd never stand a chance at taking me out, even if you tried. I'd break you in half!"

"More the reason why I'd never date you!" exclaimed Gabriella, knowing the truth in his words. "I'd never date someone who was abusive and cared so little for me. Now, for the last time, get lost Riley!"

Furious at her stubborn refusal, Riley reached out and grabbed Gabriella's left wrist hard, bringing her roughly against his body. "YOU LISTEN TO ME WELL MONTEZ! I've been playing Mr. Nice Guy to try to win you over willingly but I am not above doing what I need to do to make you mine," stated Riley, putting more pressure on her wrist to emphasize his point.

Tessa, seeing Gabriella wince at the pain, decided that Gabriella's wish of her friend staying out of things would have to be disobeyed this time. She quickly walked over to where the two were struggling with each other's wills and wrapped her arm around Gabriella's shoulders in front of her body before she tugged her friend out of Riley's grasp. Tessa glared at Riley, uncaring of the consequences of what she just did. "Leave her alone Riley. She's not some bimbo you can get to do whatever you say. Gabriella is too smart for that."

Gabriella leaned gratefully into Tessa's hold, appreciating the little comfort it gave her while she cradled her left wrist in her right hand against her chest, all the determination and fearlessness that was in her moments before gone with Riley's violent appearance.

Riley eyed Gabriella and realized that he had crossed a line tonight, one there was no turning back from. "So be it, for tonight," said Riley, knowing he had the attention of quite a few West High students at the moment. "But you are officially out of my protection Gabriella. You have everything coming to you now."

Feeling Gabriella's body shake a little and determined not to let Riley get the best of either of them, Tessa stood tall and tightened her hold on her friend. "She doesn't need your help, she's got true friends, so go screw yourself Riley!"

Before anything further could be said, Tessa led Gabriella out of the gym, hearing whispers begin to escalate as they departed. The two girls don't stop walking until they were off school grounds, pausing a little to catch their breath and to try to reign in their emotions. "God, I'm so sorry Tessa. You are going to be such an outcast now because of me," got out Gabriella, true sorrow and worry on her face.

Tessa shook her head. "Like I wasn't an outcast before, hello! Besides, I promised you last week I'd protect you when I could and you needed protecting just then. I know you were trying to be the big brave young woman you are, but in the eyes of violence and threats, I don't blame you for being shaken up."

"I just want him to go away Tess, that's all I want," stated Gabriella, upset that yet another scene had been caused and that things have yet again escalated. 'This is exactly why I've been so reluctant with Troy. Imagine what tonight would have been like if they knew there was an actual relationship.'

Tessa pulled Gabriella to her for a hug but immediately let go as she felt Gabriella wince in pain as her left arm was still cradled against her chest. "That jerk really hurt you, didn't he?" asked Tessa. "I knew I should have stepped in earlier but you looked so determined to try to handle him by yourself so I let it go."

"Exactly, I was determined to try to end this silliness on my own but evidently I'm not strong enough or something," returned Gabriella.

"You are strong enough, but Riley is a brute who doesn't know the meaning of chivalry or anger management evidently," stated Tessa with an ironic smile. "Not a real Knight now is he?"

Gabriella managed to giggle a little at this. She looked down at her arm, using the lamppost's light to see it and grimaced at the dark patch of skin she saw on her wrist. "Great, a nice reminder of that pig's hand being on my body. I can still feel his sloppy kiss on my neck too," complained Gabriella. "I definitely need a nice long hot shower after this."

"I'd agree with you and I respectfully suggest putting an icepack or three on that wrist to help with the pain. The bruise looks like it won't be pretty but at least you can help it out with the cold compress," said Tessa. "God, Riley is such a moron!"

Before Gabriella could respond, Tessa's cell phone went off, so she opened her purse and grabbed it, seeing who was calling. "SHIT! I totally forgot!" exclaimed Tessa. "Hello?"

Gabriella watched Tessa's one-sided conversation, wondering what was going on with her friend. 'What did she forget?'

After hanging up the phone, Tessa sent off a text to Sarah for her and Beth to head home on their own before putting her cell phone back in her purse. "So, Gabriella, why don't we go take a walk and enjoy this nice clean air, hmm?"

Gabriella agreed but eyed her friend with a suspicious look, which Tessa chose to ignore. "So, what did you forget tonight?" pushed Gabriella as Tessa directed them down the street.

"Oh, something I had planned earlier on this week. With the excitement of the moron's stupidity back there, I sort of forgot," replied Tessa, eluding the question yet answering it at the same time.

Seeing that Tessa would not confess anything more, Gabriella decided to let the matter drop, focusing instead on trying to control the pain that was pulsating up her arm at the moment. After a few more blocks, the pain in her left arm was forgotten as she saw a familiar young man dressed in a pair of black slacks and green button up shirt leaning up against his parent's car that he borrowed every once in a while. "Troy?"

Troy turned his head and grinned as he saw Gabriella and Tessa walking towards him finally. He frowned though, concern filling his eyes as he saw Gabriella holding her left wrist to her body. "Hey Brie, I thought I'd surprise you and rescue you from this dance but it looks like I may have been too late. What happened?"

A few tears formed in Gabriella's eyes as she heard the genuine concern in his voice. "Just a stupid jock who let his aggressive nature out," replied Gabriella. "I'll be fine, really."

Realizing that Gabriella didn't want to talk about it, Troy gently pulled Gabriella's body towards his and just embraced her, whispering soothing words into her ear as he felt her tremble a little. Troy shot Tessa a look, who just shook her head. "Riley was just way out of line and out of control tonight. Gabriella tried her best to take him on by herself but it didn't work so well. She only has that bruise on her left wrist, I promise," said Tessa, knowing full well that one bruise was one too many for Troy to see on the girl he adored.

Troy pushed down the anger that had bubbled up to the surface, knowing that any outburst from him at the moment would serve only to frighten Gabriella and what she needed the most right now was comfort and borrowed strength. "Come on, why don't we get you two home? I had hoped to take you away for a late night dinner but I think we better get you taken care of with some ice. That all right with you Brie?"

Gabriella nodded her head, bumping Troy's chin a little in the process, which caused her to look up with concern in her own eyes for him.

He chuckled at this and hugged her tighter before dropping a kiss on the top of her head. "Don't worry about me and a not even bruised chin Gabriella. We need to take care of you and that wrist of yours. Here, I brought this for you," said Troy before he let go of her body and opened the passenger side door to present her with the white long stemmed rose.

Gabriella couldn't help but smile as she took the rose from him. "Thank you," she murmured, completely awed by the sudden change of emotions she felt in that moment.

Troy helped Gabriella into the passenger seat and closed the door before looking at Tessa. "Thank you Tessa, for coming up with tonight's idea and for being a true friend to Gabriella."

"Hey, I did it for her. Gabriella is like my best friend now and I'd never let some jerk hurt her if I could, and that speaks to you never hurting her too mister. After tonight, I fear Gabriella is going to need a lot more than just my friendship to get through life at West. He tried to get her to grind with him and she refused, sparking an argument neither Riley nor Gaby wanted to back down from. Eventually, he got frustrated enough to yank her to him, thus the bruise, and then dramatically announced she was no longer under his protection and implied there would be consequences of her refusing him again. Riley meant business tonight, I know he did," revealed Tessa.

"You think she's in danger?" asked Troy. "Like true physical danger?"

"It's hard to say because I've seen Riley act out against other guys, but I've never seen or heard about him attacking a girl before. I'll keep an eye on her though, I promise," vowed Tessa.

Troy nodded his head. "And I will too. I don't want you getting hurt either Tessa. Riley may be in the mood to lash out even more now and I don't want you caught in the middle just like I don't want to see Gabriella hurt. Speaking of, why don't you jump in the car? I don't want you walking around out here by yourself."

"Troy, it's not the ghetto, I'll be fine walking home. You two should have some alone time. That was the idea of tonight," replied Tessa.

"True, but plans have altered and after tonight, I'd feel better taking you home. Humor me, all right?"

Tessa rolled her eyes. "Fine, but Bolton, instead of being a Wildcat, I totally think you would have done better at West in living up to the mascot. You may prove to be Gabriella's knight after all."

"Haha," got out Troy as he opened the passenger door behind where Gabriella was sitting for Tessa to get in before he went around to the driver's side and to get in himself.

'Well, well, well… I was right, she is seeing Bolton,' thought Riley, anger throbbing through his body. 'You will pay dearly for that poor choice Gabriella, this I promise you.'

He spat on the ground as he watched the three drive off from the shadows he was hiding in after following the two girls to this little "secret meeting spot" of theirs. 'Oh no, this is not a threat either. This is a promise, and I always fulfill my promises, always.'

- - -

After pulling into the driveway and parking the car, Troy cut the engine and quickly got out and ran around to the other side to open the door for Gabriella. She smiled up at him for his efforts as she got out, allowing him to close the car door before taking her right hand in his. 'The perfect fit,' thought Troy with a small grin as the two walked up the pathway to the Montez household.

Gabriella opened her purse and took out her keys to unlock the house and quickly disarmed the alarm, letting Troy close and lock the door behind him. "I guess Mom isn't home from her dinner party yet," said Gabriella, noting the darkness of the house.

"Hey, it's okay. I'll be more than glad to help tend to you," replied Troy, leading her by the hand to the living room and having her take a seat on the couch. He grabbed the remote off the coffee table and handed it to her. "Now sit back, relax, and find a favorite show or movie. I'm going to go get ice for that wrist and some Advil or Tylenol for the pain, at least to take the edge off it. Where are the medicines?"

Astounded by the amount of care Troy was showing her, Gabriella automatically responded, "In my bathroom's medicine cabinet."

Troy disappeared from sight so Gabriella kicked off her heels and curled up on the couch, and turned on the television to surf for a good show to watch. She finally decided on _Love and Basketball_ that was showing on a cable channel, knowing that it was something both she and Troy would enjoy, especially as it was a secret favorite of hers. 'God, how is it possible that I would have someone as sweet and caring as Troy in my life right now, when everything else seems to be going wrong? Everyone at school despises me, I'm cursed with a guy who won't go away, and my family status is, well, questionable,' thought Gabriella. 'And I bet he doesn't even know where to begin with all these problems that I have that no one knows all of, not my best friend from South Carolina or the one here. They'll never know it all.'

"Hey, I found the extra strength stuff for you," said Troy, interrupting Gabriella's thoughts. Troy handed Gabriella the two pills and then the glass of water, watching her take them from him with a small smile on her lips. "I'll be right back and go get that ice pack now."

'He really is too good for me,' thought Gabriella with a dreamy look on her face that she was all too aware of. 'If it wasn't for the stupid rivalry between our schools and my own secret, we'd be free to see each other and actually be blissfully happy instead of sharing this tortured relationship we have. Would it be worth it to blow it all away and go after what both of us seem to want?'

Troy entered the room again with an ice pack in one hand and a kitchen towel in the other. He sat down next to Gabriella and gently placed the ice pack against her wrist, wrapping the towel around her arm to hold it in place. Then, without speaking, Troy grabbed a pillow from the end of the couch and put it on his lap before gently coaxing Gabriella to lie down with her head on the pillow, her wrapped left arm resting on her stomach. Gabriella gazed back up at Troy, speechless at the seemingly unending amount of thoughtfulness and care he had shown her almost since they met at the ski lodge but especially within the last few days, particularly in the last couple of hours.

He saw that amazed look on her face and chuckled, shaking his head a little. "Come now Brie, does it really surprise you after all that I have said, all that I have done, to see how very serious I am about caring for you in this special way? I really do like you Gabriella and I'd risk everything to see you truly happy, hopefully with me. Don't you know that by now?"

Gabriella smiled, touched by the soft words she just heard him say to her. "I think I'm finally starting to fully understand it for what it is Troy," said Gabriella as she slowly reached up her right arm to place her hand on the side of his cheek, feeling her heart warm at the sight of him closing his eyes as he leaned into her hand. "And I am finally able to tell you now that I return your feelings, full heartedly, which is why I am willing to do everything I can to keep you safe, to keep you unharmed. I care about you that much Troy, even after knowing you for as little time as we really have."

"But that's where you're wrong Gabriella," murmured Troy as he opened his blue eyes to lovingly look back into her brown ones. "It's far worse staying away from you, being with you and being able to show my true feelings when I'm around you than it is to get beaten up by the toughest man out there. I have this feeling that as long as I am with you, everything will turn out to be just fine."

"You don't know that though," argued Gabriella in a soft voice, fighting her conflicting emotions and thoughts in her mind.

"And neither do you," returned Troy. He turned his head and kissed her palm, gratified to see that sweet smile reappear on her lips. "Please Brie, let's try us out. What do we have to lose as long as we have each other?"

Gabriella was still fighting the internal battle between her logical mind and her romantic heart when Troy leaned down and their lips met in a shy kiss. She felt herself give Troy the answer he was looking for when she lifted her head off the pillow to kiss him again as he pulled away, this time sharing a more passionate, lingering kiss than before. The pain in her left wrist was forgotten as she wove her right hand through his hair as he began to deepen it, eventually slowly pulling away to look down at the beautiful girl laying on his lap, the girl who had answered his prayers that filled the last month.

"Just please, promise me you won't get yourself hurt okay?" requested Gabriella. "I'd never live with myself if something were to happen to you because of us dating Troy."

"I won't, don't worry. Besides, I am smart enough to know that as much as I want to run outside and scream at the top of my lungs that I have the most wonderful, amazing, and gorgeous girlfriend in the world that I can't. For reasons out of our control, we can't celebrate our love the way that I would like to, out in the open, but having you here in my life, in the official role as my girlfriend, is more than enough for me now. As much as I hate this sneaking, I know it is necessary to keep us both safe and I would never do anything to endanger you, you must know that now," replied Troy. "God Brie, you've made me so happy tonight."

She smiled as she saw the truth of his words on his face, from his grin to his twinkling blue eyes. "As you have made me. You've turned a night that started out a bit rough into a memorable night for all the right reasons as far as the moments that involve you. It means a lot to see you struggle with your impulse to go back to West and torture Riley for what he did tonight and instead dedicate your energy and focus for caring for me. That's what attracts me to you Troy, your pure heart and intentions."

Troy flushed a little at her words before he said, "I wasn't always this way, just since you walked onto that stage at the ski lodge and into my life. Before, well, let's just say the Troy pre-Gabriella would have jumped at the chance to exchange blows with Riley over something like he did tonight but now, now you are my top priority Gabriella and I vow you always will be."

They shared another kiss, communicating their emotions better than words could at that point, before they settled back down and turned their attention to _Love and Basketball_, which was still playing. Troy chuckled as soon as he realized what she had chosen. "You chose this for me didn't you? The whole basketball thing?"

Gabriella giggled. "Guilty, but I honestly didn't realize the love part in the title would play itself into our real night. It's one of my favorites actually."

"Mine too, even if there's that whole romance thing going on," replied Troy, earning a laugh from his girlfriend.

She turned her attention from the TV back to her boyfriend of a few minutes. "You know, it's okay to appease your romantic side every once in a while. I won't tell your boys, promise."

Troy smiled gratefully at her before Gabriella turned her head to watch the movie, Troy slowly running his fingers through her hair that lay on the pillow. Neither one of them cared at that very moment what was coming their way. All they knew was that they were happy now, together finally, and that they would face whatever came their way together.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

_Troy woke to the sound of his cell phone going off, grabbing it quickly as he realized that he was still at Gabriella's house with Gabriella sleeping on his lap, a sweet smile playing on her lips. "Hello?" he answered, his voice groggy._

"TROY BOLTON, where are you?" demanded Jack Bolton, none too happy that his son was out way past curfew.

Troy gulped as he heard the anger in his dad's voice. He searched for something in the dark room that would show the time and swore in his head as the VCR shined 12:30. "Sorry Dad, I'm at a friend's house and fell asleep. I'll be home in thirty minutes top, promise."

"Have you been drinking?" questioned Jack, knowing his son spoke the truth as he recognized the grogginess in Troy's voice as he heard that voice every morning when he woke Troy up for school.

"No Dad, honest, I just fell asleep. I'll go home right now," answered Troy, feeling guilty as Gabriella began stirring.

"All right, see you in the morning Troy," replied Jack before hanging up the phone.

Gabriella rubbed her eyes, realizing that the throbbing in her left wrist had lessened quite a bit. Troy had taken the ice pack off after Love and Basketball_ was over and they found another movie to watch. "Who was that?"_

"My dad, we both must have fallen asleep Brie because I am late for my curfew. Are you going to be okay home alone?" asked Troy.

Gabriella nodded her head. "I should be. I'll make sure to turn on the alarm and lock up behind you. You need to get going," said Gabriella as she sat up, trying to straighten out her hair.

Troy got up off the couch and extended a hand to her to help Gabriella up before the two teenagers walked to the door. "Well, I guess this is it for tonight, well this morning. I'll chat with you online later today?"

"Sure," responded Gabriella. "You better not forget me once you drive away from my house Troy."

"Never," replied Troy with a grin. He leaned down and captured her lips with his for one last kiss before he slipped his shoes back on and dashed outside to his car to drive home, smiling all the way as he thought of the amazing new addition he had to his life.  
  
'If only I knew where that amazing new addition is now,' thought Troy, running a hand over his face as he came back to present time in Geometry class. He looked over and saw Chad giving him a concerned look to which he gave him a nod, signifying he was okay. 'That is a total lie but I can't very well tell him all about my worries over Gabriella being gone for the last three weeks in the middle of class now can I?'

Later that day, the day after he and Gabriella changed their relationship from being just friends to something more exclusively, Troy had chatted with Gabriella on IM but detected that something was a little off. It wasn't until the next few days, when he couldn't reach Gabriella by email, IM, or by phone that Troy started worrying. He had tried several times to call Gabriella and panicked when he heard only voicemail, not even a ring or a ringtone. Troy was so worried that he had ditched his last period class on Friday of that first week to head over to West to check things out, to hopefully find her.

_Troy drove up to West High just as the bell rang to dismiss students for the day. He got out of his car with his sunglasses on and went over to a tree with dark shade to observe all the students pouring out of the school. Without a doubt, going in there was out of the question but he would be able to see everyone leaving for the parking lots and the pickup area from the shade provided by the tree while also masking his identity, or so he had thought._

After twenty-five minutes of not spotting her, Troy continued to scan the now thinned out crowd, hoping to see his dark haired beauty among them, not wanting to acknowledge the fact that something really could have happened to his girlfriend of only a few days. A menacing laugh coming from close by on his right caught his attention though, forcing him to stop his search in order to look in the direction of which the laugh came from. 'Oh great, Riley and his crew,' thought Troy, silently kicking himself for being stupid enough to step foot on their turf without someone else for back up. 'Then again, you knew the risk when you decided to come but desperately needed, and still need, to know about her. Maybe Riley knows? Oh God, if he knows, that could only mean…'

"So, what does West High owe the East High's Golden Boy's presence to? Come to scope out the competition or to scam on more of our girls perhaps?" asked an advancing Riley.

"I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by and see how you guys are when not in these 'we're going to try to beat the crap out of you' moments we so often find ourselves sharing," replied Troy, knowing not to admit to his true intention.

"Right, sure," responded Riley. "What me and my boys want to know though is what you did with Gabriella Montez. I saw you leave with her after she disgraced herself at the Spring Fling and we haven't seen her all week. She may have made her way to my shit list but no East High boy is going to harm any West High student without punishment, dork or popular girl. Kind of goes with the unsaid rivalry rules Bolton, you should know that."

This gave Troy pause, hearing that Gabriella hadn't been in school. "I haven't seen her or talked to her. How do I know you Riley didn't do something to her and are trying to hide it by setting me up for taking the fall? We all know that you've wanted her since she set foot at West and had a pretty intense confrontation at the dance. I think you did something to her and I want you to tell me what the hell you did!"

Riley sneered. "I don't know what the hell you are talking about Bolton. She was last seen with you. It's your word against mine. Who do you think all these kids here at West are going to believe? It certainly isn't going to be you. Besides, all I wanted her for was some action, just as she's been giving every other guy here at West. You must have heard about her reputation by now Bolton."

"Shut up Sutton! That's a load of crap and you know it! You're just a sore loser for not winning the girl like you are used to at West. Now tell me what you did to her!" demanded Troy, barely able to hang onto his control of his anger as he saw that arrogant look on Riley's face.

Riley shook his head, letting out a dark chuckle. "So you really did come for her, how touching. Well I'm sorry to say Bolton but your little slut hasn't been around these halls all week. Maybe she moved again or maybe she's been a love slave to some West guy who has her chained in his basement. Whatever or wherever she is, she's in better company than being with you, at least that much is clear. So sad that you can't seem to keep it together with that little tramp, she certainly pleased us all."

"You bastard! Gabriella would never do any of what you are implying and you for one should know when she told you off this past weekend. You're trash Sutton and Gabriella deserves so much better than that," replied Troy, seeing anger flash in Riley's eyes.

"Boys, grab him! Golden boy or not Bolton, no one comes onto our turf and insults me that way or by messing with my girl," stated Riley, pulling back his arm and solidly punching Troy in the stomach after Troy was unable to wrestle free of the grasp of Riley's buddies. Riley proceeded to pummel Troy, altering between his midsection and his face until Troy's strength finally disappeared and he was allowed to fall on the ground. Seeing his opponent was down didn't stop Riley though who then started kicking Troy until he heard two of the assistant vice principals shouting as they ran to break up the fight. Riley got down on the ground in front of Troy's face and growled, "This may be a recess on your beating today but this is far from over. Whether or not I know where she is, I would never tell you and I vow to you that she will be mine, one way or another. Count yourself lucky that you still have your life Bolton and never, and I mean never, set foot on West High soil again."

With that, Riley got up and joined his friends who took off to the parking lot and left in their cars before the administration could reach them after a quick chase.

Troy laid on the ground, clutching his midsection and silently wondering what area of his body hurt the most, deciding it was an even tie as his body felt like it was on fire from the pain. He felt a comforting hand rest on his shoulder and he looked up hoping it was Gabriella but no luck.

"Hey, I'm sorry I couldn't get the fight to be over with faster than that. The A.V.P.s took forever to believe me that there was a fight out front," apologized Tessa, surveying Troy's damage. "We need to get you cleaned up. Why don't you let me take you to my house and I'll care for you there? Or do you want to go to a hospital?"

"No hospital," Troy was able to get out as he coughed again, this time a little blood coming out.

Not knowing if the blood was from his mouth or something far more serious, Tessa shook her head. "No, it is the hospital after that cough. Come on Bolton, we've gotta get you out of here before those jerks come back," said Tessa, standing up and then reaching down an arm that wrapped around his waist to help pull Troy up.

As soon as he was upright, Troy doubled over in pain again, forcing Tessa to wrap her arm more securely around him. Sarah and Beth had also witnessed the fight and rushed over to help their friend out. Tessa got Troy's keys from him and drove him to the hospital while Beth took Tessa's car to drive home as the three girls agreed that the Bolton car was not safe on West High property.

The next day, Troy was released from the hospital since he luckily didn't have anything broken although Riley's kicks and continued punches had caused severe bruising of some of Troy's vital organs. Blood had come from a few cuts he earned in his mouth but luckily, there was no internal bleeding going on. Neither his mom or dad were pleased to hear about the fight and promptly grounded him for a month once they were told Troy would be all right. His only comfort was the fact that Tessa had promised she'd be in touch with him if she ever found out anything about Gabriella's whereabouts, both more worried now that they knew neither of them knew where Gabriella was.  
  
Troy's thoughts were interrupted when the bell rang, signaling the end of the period. He quickly gathered his stuff and headed to his locker as he tried his best to ignore Chad's persistent following of him through the halls.

Chad knew something was going on with his best friend and he was determined to find out what it was. 'First, he gets beat up by West for being on their turf and now, Troy is acting all depressed. Something must have happened with him and Gabriella,' thought Chad as he tried to dodge a clingy popular girl, focused only on cornering Troy and making him open up during lunch, their next period.

When Troy finally arrived at his locker, he was surprised to see Taylor waiting for him there. "Taylor, what's up?" greeted Troy.

Taylor was about to answer when she spotted Chad's big haired head coming down the hall quickly in their direction. Instead of talking to Troy, she slipped him a note and dashed down the hallway, quickly getting lost in the flow of students, not wanting to put Troy in an even worst spot by having him associated with one of the nerd clique. In truth, Taylor and Troy had become somewhat friendly now from hanging out together with Gabriella, but Taylor never went when she knew there would be other East High students there, knowing the trouble that would cause. 'Troy's friends may be understanding about caring for a West High girl but they would never allow him to seriously consider being friends with someone lower on the East High food chain,' thought Taylor as she made her way to her own locker, hoping Troy would understand the note well enough without a verbal explanation.

After seeing Taylor vanish from view, Troy unfolded the note and read it twice to make sure he was reading it right:

_Gabriella is back, T texted saying she's at school today. T and I wanted you to know so you can rest easy.  
_  
'She's back? From where? What happened all this time? Why did she never call, email, or anything?' wondered Troy as many more questions ran through his mind. Quickly, Troy grabbed his lunch and slammed his locker shut, swiftly merging with the crowd of students and making his way up to his secret spot on the roof, desperately needing the solitude to absorb and think about this new turn of events.

- - -

Troy lay in bed that evening, beyond frustrated with how his day had gone from the moment he received that note from Taylor. He had forced himself to go to the rest of his classes after he calmed down at least a little during lunch and tried to push his questions and worries aside to focus on what was going on in his classes.

_As soon as the day was over, Troy ran out of East High at top speed and drove to Gabriella's house, just in time to watch her walk into her house with an unfamiliar guy. 'Wait, what?' he wondered, very confused who the guy was and why he was with Troy's girlfriend. 'Gabriella is still my girlfriend, right? Maybe?'_

Instead of driving off like a small portion of him wanted him to, Troy parked the car and made his way to the front door and rang the doorbell. An older man answered the door and eyed Troy instantly. "Can I help you?"

Even more confused now, Troy swallowed before he said, "I'm Troy Bolton. Is Gabriella available?"

It was then that he heard her voice. "Whose at the door Daddy?" asked Gabriella, coming into view with that other guy behind her.

'Daddy?' wondered Troy. 'Whoa, something really has happened.'

"Troy! What are you doing here?" asked an excited Gabriella, who immediately pulled Troy inside the house and shut the door, giving him a big hug. She pulled away when her father cleared his throat and blushed when she looked back at her dad. "Sorry Dad. Troy, I'd like you to meet my father, Stephen Montez. Dad, this is Troy, the guy I've talked to you about."

The two shook hands while both curiously looked each other over. Belatedly, it dawned on Troy that Gabriella hadn't introduced him as her boyfriend. 'Does that mean something?' he wondered but lost track of that thought when he saw Gabriella's face pale.

"Troy, where did you get those bruises and cuts on your face?" asked a very concerned Gabriella when she finally got a chance to really look at him. "Did you get into a fight?"

"Something like that," mumbled Troy, looking at the floor. "Anyway, I just wanted to come over to see with my own eyes you were back. I can see you have company and your dad here so I'll just go."

Seeing that Troy was about to leave with a lot of unanswered questions between them, Gabriella instinctively reached out and grabbed Troy's hand, halting his exit. "Stay Troy, I think we need to talk," said Gabriella in a soft voice. She looked to her dad and Paul next. "Paul, I'll see you tomorrow at school, all right? Dad, I really need to talk to Troy alone."

Stephen nodded his head in understanding and showed Paul out while Gabriella brought Troy up to her bedroom so they had some form of privacy. Troy took a seat on her little couch next to her windows while Gabriella sat down next to him, still silently examining his face. "Please Troy, tell me what happened," pleaded Gabriella.

Knowing he would never be able to lie to her, Troy decided to tell her a summary of the truth. "Well, after you were missing for a week and I got a rather uneasy feeling, instead of being smart and calling Tessa to see if she knew what was going on, I went to West High that Friday and got physically punished by Riley with some minor help from his friends. I'm fine now though. Most of the damage is gone except for what you see now."

Gabriella covered her mouth, shocked at what he just told her. "My God Troy! Why would you put yourself in that type of danger? How bad was it?"

"Pretty bad but nothing broken and no internal bleeding. Just some bruising. Luckily, Tessa was there and helped get the administration to halt the beating from progressing and then took me to the hospital," answered Troy.

"Tessa knew!" exclaimed Gabriella, anger appearing in her brown eyes. "I can't believe she didn't tell me!"

Out of nowhere, irritation surged red hot through Troy at Gabriella's words. "You can't believe Tessa didn't tell you? How could you be so upset over that lack of communication when you just up and disappeared on all of us for weeks without word? Talk about communication breakdown Gabriella! Where were you when we were all worried to death about you? You look fine and now you have some guy friend at West in the total of one day you have been back at school? What is going on?"

Gabriella was silent for a few moments after Troy's outburst, nervously biting her lip as she thought what to say. "Look Troy, I don't even know where to begin here. I know, you're right, I did a shitty thing by leaving without a word and no communication but I didn't have a choice. And Paul is a new student at West, I was just being nice."

"So you find it in you to be nice to the new kid but you couldn't let your own boyfriend know you were fine and back in town? Brie, I thought we were better than this!" stated Troy, a certain edge working its way into his voice.

She let out a heavy sigh, not knowing how to respond in a manner that wouldn't send Troy right over the edge. "Troy, things are really complicated right now. I don't know what way is up right now and to be honest, I didn't get the chance to really talk to anyone since I got back late last night. Even Tessa who was there at school hasn't had the opportunity to talk to me."

"Even more reason why I don't understand how you have time for this Paul guy and not your friends and not your boyfriend, unless I'm not considered to be that anymore," said Troy, finally letting his insecurity be known about their status.

"Don't be ridiculous Troy," answered Gabriella. "I just need some time to absorb everything that has happened these past three weeks, okay?"

Troy just shook his head. "Fine, take all the time you want Gabriella. Find me when you want to talk," replied Troy as he stood up and walked out of the room without a further word being spoken.  
  
Troy tossed his stuffed basketball toy up in the air and caught it, groaning as he replayed the events of the second half of his day again in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more Troy regretted leaving things the way they were with Gabriella but he just didn't know what else to think or do. 'I have no idea where she has been, I have no idea how she has been, I don't know what we are to each other anymore, and I have no clue as to who this new guy really is,' thought Troy as he turned on his radio and started thinking again. 'God, maybe I was way better off as a single player at East than getting involved with her. Who am I kidding though? Brie means a lot to me, despite this. I only wish I knew what was going on.'


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or places created by the High School Musical franchise or by Disney!_

Chapter 10

Annette had come home the previous night from work to see her daughter in a very depressed mood. She was naturally concerned for her, especially when Gabriella refused to talk to her or Stephen last night, insisting instead of being locked up in her room with her radio blaring. This morning, Gabriella was not much better, sitting on the other side of the nook table, spinning her milk and cereal around instead of eating it. Annette let out a sigh. "All right Gabriella, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Without even looking at her mother, Gabriella replied, "I'll hold my peace."

Annette rolled her eyes at this. "Not an option, just a figure of speech sweet daughter. So, what happened yesterday that has you this upset, hmm?"

Gabriella stopped playing with her cereal and looked up at her mom, letting her see the tears that were in Gabriella's eyes. "Let's just say these last three weeks have left my life in more of a mess than just moving has done. I know Tessa's upset at me for leaving without a word, along with Beth and Sarah, and to top it off Troy came over yesterday and saw me with Paul and expressed his frustration with my unexplained departure and absence. Mom, he got beat up over me and our relationship and I couldn't even tell him what was going on."

"Oh sweetie," murmured Annette, finally realizing why Gabriella was in her current mood. "How did you leave things with Troy last night?"

"He walked out of the room, telling me to take my time to think and find him when I'm ready," replied Gabriella. "Troy didn't give me the opportunity to even try to really explain things to him but I can't blame him as I didn't even know where to begin. I still can't believe that he put himself in such a risky situation just to find out about me, that kills me even more than anything else could. This is what I was afraid of, that he would get hurt because of me. I don't know if I can do this!"

Tears freely flowed down Gabriella's cheeks now so Annette got up and moved around the table to hold her daughter, letting her cry freely into her shoulder. "Shh, sweetie it's going to be okay. I know you and your father talked about your relationship with Troy. What did he say?"

Gabriella sniffled before she said, "Dad says I have to keep things with Troy very non-committal and that I can't tell him anything about what has been going on. How do I face the guy I care for and lie to him about where I have been these past few weeks and what has been going on?"

"Maybe your dad has it wrong this time," replied Annette, knowing in her heart that lying to Troy and Gabriella's friends would only serve to make Gabriella's life even worse than it already was at this moment. "Let me talk to him about it, okay? Our lives have changed quite a bit in the past few weeks and all I can say is that I admire how much strength you have shown in handling yourself properly and maturely. A lot of other teenage girls I know would have disobeyed her father and would have sulked at not having the ability to talk to her friends and her boyfriend back home."

"Well it didn't help that dear Dad took away my cell phone and banned me from any computers. Mom, I just don't know what to do. I know Troy especially out of everyone is hurting and I don't want to be the cause of that any longer," said Gabriella, letting out a sigh as she pulled back from her mother and wiped her eyes.

"Perhaps you need to take the first step and go talk to Troy," suggested Annette. "You don't have to tell him anything about the last three weeks but be honest about your feelings. See if you can mend this rift in your connection. I'm sure if he is wonderful and is everything you have told me he is, Troy will in time find it in his heart to forgive and understand."

Gabriella nodded her head, knowing her mother was right. With a plan forming in her mind, Gabriella got up from the table, kissed her mother's cheek, and grabbed her backpack to go to school.

- - -

Paul was with Gabriella at her locker at the end of the day when Riley chose to make his move again in his little campaign to make Gabriella's life hell. He sauntered over to her locker, completely ignoring the unfamiliar boy at her side, and leaned against the locker next to hers, a smirk on his face. "Well look who is back in school, our dear sweet betraying Gabriella. We all thought Bolton had abducted you and had taken you hostage to reside at East until the idiot stumbled onto our turf in search of his precious girlfriend. I thought you knew better than to cross me for him, I'm disappointed Gabriella."

"Leave me alone Riley," said Gabriella, not even looking at him. "There's nothing going on with me and Troy and I don't appreciate your acts of violence against me or anyone else. Now, if you'll excuse me, Paul and I have somewhere to be."

Before she could leave, Riley grabbed her left wrist while he grabbed her chin and forced Gabriella to look at him. He saw misery in her eyes but was impressed there was no fear. "You don't walk away from me Gabriella, ever, is that clear? And if you and Troy weren't an item, if you weren't at least screwing him, why did he pick you up after the dance the weekend before you left? Why was he here looking for you like a lost puppy?"

"Not that it is any of your business but Troy and I were friends but he isn't talking to me now, all right? You actually stalked me outside of the dance, that's totally unbelievable! I told you I wasn't ready for a relationship," lied Gabriella as she pulled her face out of his grip but was unable to escape the hold on her wrist. "Are you happy now? I'm not your property but I'm no one else's either."

"You shouldn't even lower yourself to be his friend Gabriella," stated Riley. "West High girls in general are too good for the lowlifes at East. You've been a Knight for at least a few months now and you should know that by now. I've had a lot of time to think about how I put you on the shit list at school and I've reconsidered. I'll overlook your behavior at the dance and this stupid friendship you used to have with Bolton if you promise never to see him again and to go out with me this weekend. We are long overdue for a date."

Gabriella glared at Riley, feeling his grip tighten on her wrist again, familiar pain from a few weeks ago returning. "I can't, my parents have me under lock and key. I can't be seen out with anyone."

"Then what are you doing with this dork over here?" asked Riley, motioning with his head at Paul.

"We're at school Riley. Now please, let go of my wrist," said Gabriella, fighting the urge to lash out at the jock.

Riley eyed Gabriella before he shook his head. "No, pay the price first. Give me a kiss and then I'll let you go."

"Riley, please," begged Gabriella, really not in the mood to deal with him right now. She looked over at Paul discreetly and shook her head as she saw movement coming from his direction, which she interpreted as him starting to move in to forcefully separate Riley and Gabriella. As much as she hated Riley touching her, Gabriella knew that she wasn't ready to rock the boat totally with him yet. 'At least not until I figure everything out.'

The moments stretched as Riley and Gabriella continued to stare at each other, neither willing to give way. Riley tightened his grip on her wrist that was still in his hand and smirked when he saw her finally visibly flinch, unable to mask the pain any longer.

"Mr. Sutton, please unhand Miss Montez this instant," requested Principal Martin as he appeared halfway down the hall. Seeing Riley was ignoring him, he put some steel in his voice. "Let her go now Mr. Sutton!"

Unable to ignore the principal now, Riley did what he was told but told Gabriella with his eyes that this was far from over. "See you later Gabriella, and that's a promise."

Gabriella let out a deep sigh as she watched Riley leave, passing the principal without a glance. Her wrist was throbbing and Gabriella knew that she wouldn't be able to keep the pain from showing much longer, forcing herself to drop her arms to her side so no one would suspect.

Principal Martin came approached the two and sadly shook his head. "How long has he been doing this to you?"

"Just once before," relied Gabriella honestly.

The principal turned his attention to the tall red haired student next to Gabriella. "And you didn't step in to help her today?"

Paul shook his head. "She requested I didn't. Although, after seeing what happened today, I am less willing to just stand by now."

"I suggest that you don't but I will not tolerate fighting in my halls either. You two should head home now and Miss Montez, make sure you put some ice on that wrist. It looks like it is throbbing with pain from the discoloration that has already started," said Principal Martin before turning around and heading back to the offices.

Paul and Gabriella left to go to Gabriella's house after that, both unaware that Tessa had witnessed the whole thing and was starting to try to put all the puzzle pieces together as to what was really going on with her best friend.

- - -

Gabriella didn't make it to her after school destination for another two hours because of Paul's insistence on taking care of her once again bruised left wrist. 'Why does he have the tendency to go after the same thing to hurt me?' wondered Gabriella before she rang the doorbell to the house she was now standing in front of.

Coach Bolton opened the door and greeted her in a neutral manner, neither smiling or giving her a dirty look. "Gabriella, hello."

"Hi Mr. Bolton. Is Troy home?" asked Gabriella, relieved at the moment that Troy had told her sometime before her disappearance that his dad wasn't one who supported the rivalry but knew the secret nature of their friendship.

Jack hesitated, wondering if he should allow her access to his son's room since he was grounded and had gotten into a fight over her. 'Then again, Troy has been miserable the last twenty-four hours. Maybe she can help.' He nodded his head and opened the door wider to allow Gabriella in. "He's up in his room, second door on your right upstairs."

"Thank you," replied Gabriella in a quiet voice before she steeled her nerves for walking up the stairs and eventually knocking on Troy's closed bedroom door.

"Go away," came Troy's muffled voice through the door. "I told you Dad I don't want to talk!"

Gabriella slowly twisted the knob and entered the room, quickly ducking out of the way as a stuffed basketball sailed towards her and over her head. "Okay, I know you are mad at me but I didn't think you'd ever throw something at me like that," said Gabriella, causing Troy to jerk his head up as he realized it wasn't his dad standing in the doorway.

"Gabriella?" he asked, shocked she was standing there. Troy felt his face flush in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you."

"Evidently your dad must be bugging you or something," she replied as she bent down and picked up the stuffed basketball from the hallway. "Can I come in?"

Troy paused for a few moments before he nodded his head. "Sure."

Gabriella entered the room and took a seat at the foot of the bed where Troy was now sitting up against his basketball headboard. She placed the stuffed basketball on the bed next to her before she gathered her courage to look straight into his blue eyes. "Troy, I know you are upset at me, I don't blame you. I know I should have told you before we left and I should have contacted you and the others too while I was gone but I didn't have a choice. As cliché and stupid as this sounds, my hands were really tied these last few weeks. There's too much that I can't tell you but know that if I could have, I would have reached out to you to let you know that I was fine. Everything happened so suddenly the morning after the Spring Fling and I wasn't given that much notice that we would be leaving Albuquerque for some time. I didn't find out until later that afternoon after I talked to you. I truly want to tell you what's been going on but I can't. So why am I here then? To tell you that no matter what you think of me, or however you see us at the moment, I care about you Troy and it hurts me to know that I hurt you so, emotionally and inadvertently physically. Forcing you to go to West and get beat up most likely by Riley and the rest of his bully crew was a consequence I didn't even think about when we left although that has always been a fear of mine. I honestly don't know what I would do if you ever got seriously hurt because of your association with me. Maybe for your health, you should forget about me entirely."

"Brie, no," responded Troy softly before he patted the empty spot on his bed next to him. "Come here."

Gabriella didn't have to be told twice and moved up on the bed to the spot he indicated, promptly tucking her head in the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent that she had missed so much over the last three plus weeks while Troy wrapped his arm around her shoulders, running his hand up and down her upper arm. "I'm truly so, so sorry Troy. Forgive me?"

Troy turned his head to the side and kissed the top of her head. "Of course. Just please, don't do it again. I was worried sick that something happened to you, especially when my calls went straight to your voicemail and then when I found out that you hadn't been to school at all that first week. If it wasn't for Tessa promising to inform me as soon as she saw you or heard from you, I would have been clinically insane. I'm not going to lie, I wish you would tell me where you went and what happened, but I can respect that you need to deal with whatever it is in your own time, you expressed that much yesterday."

"Wow, my mom was actually really right for once," murmured Gabriella, pulling away so she could look up into his blue eyes that were filled with such genuine care.

"And that would be about what?" questioned Troy.

Gabriella smiled a little, thinking of what she was about to tell him. "She told me that I should be honest with you about my feelings and that if you were the wonderful guy I have painted you to be to her by what I've said that she knew you would understand and forgive me."

He couldn't help but grin at this. "You really talk to your mom about me? About us?"

"Of course, she's my best friend who has been constant throughout all the different moves and she's someone that I know my secrets are safe with," replied Gabriella.

"Well I'd like to be an additional person for you to be able to turn to if you'd let me," said Troy. "So whenever you are ready to talk, let me know. I suspect it involves the sudden appearance of your dad though. Is he back in your life for good?"

"At this point, I think he is," stated Gabriella, thinking about that herself. "Thank you so much for being the wonderful boyfriend you always promised you would be Troy. It means a lot to not have to spend this time fighting with you. I cherish these moments we have together because I know they are too few and far in between for me."

"So do I," murmured Troy before he used his right hand to gently turn her head towards him before he leaned down and softly kissed her, savoring the feeling of their lips touching again.

They continued to share kisses for a while, creating in each other that special feeling they only got when they were together, especially when they were touching. As Troy used both his arms to encircle Gabriella's waist to pull her closer to him, Gabriella wound her own arms around his neck. After a few more minutes, the two pulled away and foolishly grinned at each other, knowing that this was right, the chemistry they had now was beyond deniable. Troy unwrapped his right arm from around her and ran his right hand up and down Gabriella's left arm that was now resting against his chest. He stopped though when he felt her flinch as his hand came in contact with her wrist.

"Brie, what's wrong?" asked Troy, concern filling his voice. "Does your wrist still hurt from that incident all those weeks ago at the Spring Fling?"

Gabriella bit the corner of her lip. "Not exactly."

Troy knew instantly that she was hiding something and he intended on finding out what it was. He took her left hand and laid it on his lap with her palm up and then pushed up the sleeve of her long sleeve t-shirt. She watched his expression as Troy took in the sight of the ace bandage Paul had wrapped around Gabriella's wrist at her house and continued to chew on her lip as he gently started to unwrap it. 'He's going to find out one way or another, maybe it is better that he knows there's still danger.'

Once the bandage was undone, Troy saw there was a rectangle cut piece of gauze on her wrist. He lifted it up and gasped as he saw the discoloration on her wrist, on both sides, through the ointment that was applied. Troy stared at it for a few moments longer and shook his head, feeling anger bubbling inside him. "Sutton did this to you today didn't he?"

Gabriella nervously nodded her head. "Principal Martin interrupted though so it didn't get farther than this, promise."

"Brie, don't you understand? This is far enough!" exclaimed Troy, frustrated that he wasn't able to protect her today when she needed it nor would be he able to while she went to school. "I need to care of that jerk once and for all and that's that!"

"No! Troy, please, fighting him is going to solve nothing, don't you see? He'll only get you in trouble and I don't want you getting hurt, especially to the degree or beyond what happened a few weeks ago while I was gone. I can still see the faint bruises and that means to me that the fight must have been very violent. You have to promise me Troy not to go after Riley and start a fight over this, over me. He's not worth your energy and the amount of trouble you'll get into," pleaded Gabriella. "I let you see the bruising so you knew that there was still trouble with him, to know that we still need to be extra careful about us, not to start a war between you and Riley over me."

"But Gabriella!" started Troy.

"No, promise me Troy, promise me you will not go after him, please! I don't want to have to always worry that something is going to happen to you in a fight especially when I'm not with you," returned Gabriella, desperation clear in her voice.

Troy eyed his girlfriend and realized how very serious she was about this promise and how much it meant to her. With a sigh, he said, "All right, I promise I will not go after Riley Sutton as much as I want to beat his sorry behind for even the mere thought of hurting you let alone actually giving you a bruise. I promise you that I will not start a fight with Riley because I care that much for you Brie to respect your wishes, even though it is killing me."

"Thank you," replied Gabriella, a smile back on her face. "Can you help me bandage this back up? I can't get the ace bandage tight enough around my wrist on my own."

"Sure," responded Troy, placing the gauze back on her wrist and then wrapping the ace bandage around again. "How did you get it so tight before then?"

"I had help. Paul actually did it," admitted Gabriella.

"Wait, Paul witnessed this whole thing and didn't do anything to save you yet was there to bandage you up afterwards? That's unbelievable!" exclaimed Troy. "I know he's a new kid but you would have thought he would have stepped in to help a girl in distress out."

"Shh, calm down Troy. Yes, Paul was there but I told him to keep back. It was my choice because I thought I could handle Riley but I guess I was sort of wrong there," replied Gabriella.

Troy just listened, still annoyed that this supposed new friend of Gabriella's just watched as she got manhandled by Sutton. "You made me promise you something in regards to Riley and now I want you to promise me something Gabriella. If Riley harasses you at all, verbal or, God forbid, physically, I want you to take all the help you can get and to tell me all right? Will you do that for me?"

This time, it was Gabriella's turn to see the seriousness in Troy's eyes as he spoke of his promise he wanted her to make. "All right, if it will make you feel better while we are both at school, I promise that I will never stop anyone from interfering in the Riley confrontations again and I will not hide it from you. I can only hope that he'll back off but my gut tells me that's wishful thinking."

"I hate to agree with your gut instinct but I think it's right, which is why I want to make sure you are with someone at all times. I'd go crazy Gabriella if something happened to you and I wasn't there," confessed Troy. "You mean too much to me already."

Gabriella sweetly smiled back up at him. "That's exactly how I feel about you."

Troy grinned back down at her before bringing her left bandaged wrist up to his lips to place three kisses along the length of the injury. "Have I ever told you Brie how glad I am that Fate brought us together not once but twice in the matter of months?"

"No but I totally agree with you," replied Gabriella before she kissed him soundly, enjoying the feeling of being safe in his arms. She let out a dreamy sigh that caught Troy's attention.

"And what was that little sigh about Miss Montez?" questioned Troy.

"Oh, I was just thinking about how safe I feel being in your arms, being with you. It's a feeling I wish I could bottle up and take with me everywhere," admitted Gabriella with a small blush on her cheeks.

"Well I certainly wouldn't want that. I do want you to feel cared for and protected all the time, don't get me wrong, but if it was bottled I'd never see you again. You wouldn't need me because you would have those feelings in a convenient, portable bottle," responded Troy, brushing back some of Gabriella's dark locks from her face.

"Babe, you can't get rid of me that easily. I'll always come back to you and see you whenever I can. You mean that much to me already," replied Gabriella with another innocent smile.

Gabriella allowed herself to stay for another half an hour before reluctantly leaving the Bolton household, actually getting a smile from Jack as she left once he saw the grin on his son's face again. Troy walked her out to her car, which was parked a block away so it wasn't obvious she was visiting him and kissed her one last time before he closed the driver's door and watched as she drove away.

'God, the amazing things you feel and the things you promise when you really care for someone,' thought Troy before he walked back to his house, thinking of how to restrain himself from going after Riley Sutton for hurting Brie not once but twice in the past month. 'This is going to be the hardest promise ever to keep!'


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"So, tonight's the night huh? Going on the first real official date with the boyfriend," teased Tessa, laughing at her best friend, who blushed even deeper than she was already. "Aren't you kind of doing this in reverse? Aren't you supposed to date him first before committing to being his girlfriend?"

"But it's oh so dreamy Troy Bolton," added Taylor, who was sitting next to Tessa on Gabriella's bed while Gabriella sat on the other side of the bed, facing the two. "Do you know how many girls at East would kill to be his girlfriend, no matter what it took? Little do they know that eligible seeming Troy is more than taken."

"I bet that's a secret you are more than happy to keep and enjoy too McKessie!" exclaimed Tessa with another laugh.

"What can I say? They make my life hell at school so I take sweet solace in knowing that what they want the most is something they'll never get their conniving hands on," admitted Taylor, causing Gabriella to giggle.

'I am so thankful that Taylor and Tessa, along with Beth and Sarah, were so super understanding of my vanishing act. Tessa has been the only one to really try to wrangle the truth out of me, but she respects our friendship enough not to chase it down to the ends of Earth,' thought Gabriella with a smile.

Tessa and Taylor both catch that smile and roll their eyes. "Thinking dreamy thoughts of Bolton are we?" asked Tessa.

"Actually no, I was thinking of what wonderful friends I have here in Albuquerque in Beth, Sarah, Troy, and especially you two. Thank you for forgiving me for the worry I caused," said Gabriella.

"Hey, things happen and I know you must have really been in a bind if you left all of us, especially Troy, in the dark like that. Whenever you are ready to talk, we're here," offered Taylor.

"Absolutely," agreed Tessa. "You will always be our girl, through time and whatnot. Even with being known as the slut's friend or whatever it is they may call you at West now. I am proud of you sticking to your guns against a whole school of malicious teenagers Gabriella and for that reason alone, plus many more, I am happy to call you one of my best friends."

"Aww, come here you two," replied Gabriella, wrapping her arms around the two girls as they squeezed her back. "I don't think I would make it through even a period at West if it wasn't for you Tessa and you too Taylor even though you get spared seeing the drama first hand. Girlfriends really are the best salve for any emotional and spiritual wound."

Tessa rolled her eyes at this. "There you go again, Miss Emotionally Sentimental!"

"Hey! You started it!" responded Gabriella, laughing with Taylor at Tessa's exaggerated expression.

Taylor checked her watch and clucked her tongue. "All right, enough of our girl time of just talking! We need to get you going if you are going to be fully made up for tonight's date! Where is he taking you?"

"Umm, I think he said dinner and maybe a movie or something like that?" said Gabriella, trying to recall the vague details Troy had given her.

Tessa tapped her chin with her index finger while Taylor dove right into Gabriella's closet, trying to familiarize herself with Gabriella's clothes whereas Tessa already had a full visual inventory of the walk in closet's contents. After a few moments, Taylor reemerged with two different outfits, which Tessa quickly nixed. Feeling as if Taylor wouldn't find just the right outfit on her own, Tessa got up and joined Taylor in the closet after ordering Gabriella to put on some good music to "work" to. Gabriella rolled her eyes at her best friend's orders but got up off the bed to put on the radio, turning it up a bit as an energetic song filled the room and she felt herself start dancing and swaying to the music.

Taylor and Tessa popped their heads out of Gabriella's closet at the commotion and grinned as they saw their usually reserved best friend let loose, ridding herself of those pre-date jitters they both knew she had through dance. Taylor quickly looked at her watch and shrugged, indicating a few dances wouldn't hurt the schedule of getting Gabriella ready on time. That was all the encouragement Tessa needed to grab Taylor's hand as they both joined Gabriella in dancing around her room, grabbing a hairbrush, stuffed animal, and remote as props as the three girls started to full out sing the lyrics to the second song. Laughter, giggles, and squeals filled the room in addition to the song lyrics they sang as Gabriella, Taylor, and Tessa let themselves go from their reservations and just enjoyed the moment, getting so lost in the music that continued to fill the room, song after song.

Annette was curious at the sudden loud music coming from her daughter's room for such a long time. She made her way up the stairs towards the bedroom before she found herself wholeheartedly laughing as she watched the three teenage girls have such a good time. 'This is the true innocent fun that I remember from my teen years and I am so glad that despite everything Gabriella is going through that she can find this for herself.'

Eventually, Gabriella spotted her mother leaning in the doorway and grinned as she moved over to pull Annette into the room to dance with the teenagers. After a few moments of hesitancy, Annette found the rhythm of the modern song and started dancing with the girls, only stopping when the song was over to check the time, her motherly instinct kicking in. "Gabriella, what time did you say Troy was coming to get you?"

"Umm, 5:00, why?" asked Gabriella.

Annette gulped, preparing herself for what was to come next as she showed the three girls the time on Gabriella's alarm clock.

"4:35?!?" exclaimed all three girls at the same time.

"We gotta get you dressed girl!" screamed Tessa, knowing they were definitely up against a hard deadline that neither she nor Taylor were going to let Gabriella miss. "Come on Taylor! Let's go find her outfit. Gabriella, in the bathroom to wash up and do make up, now!"

Gabriella, panicked at having to be ready in such a short time, didn't even bat an eye at being ordered into her bathroom, Annette following close behind to help her daughter get ready. 'Stephen may not approve of our daughter dating Troy but I know he makes her happy and she needs all the happiness she can get right now,' thought Annette as she watched as Gabriella splashed cold water on her face and wiped at her neck with a wet washcloth before putting on some moisturizer on her face and her body. Next, Gabriella put on some light foundation before putting on some lipstick, feeling a bit alarmed by how shaky her hand had just gotten when it came time to do her lip liner.

"Here, let me," offered Annette, seeing that the butterflies had made their way back into Gabriella's stomach. "I can see this boy has a deep effect on you Gabriella. It's the first time I've seen you like this in a while."

Gabriella gave her mother a shy smile before she stopped moving so Annette could apply the lip liner and then the lipstick without trouble. When she was done, Annette stepped back and gave Gabriella an approving nod. "Now, for your outfit before we figure out how to do your hair for your BIG DATE!"

"MOM!" whined Gabriella, giggling a little. "You are so making me more nervous!"

Annette laughed. "Well, I guess that is proof right there that this boy means something to you, dear daughter of mine. Unlike your father, I am all for you being happy with your life, especially right now."

Gabriella smiled back at her mom. "Thank you Mom, that means a lot. I know that Dad isn't all that happy with this idea of Troy but he makes me feel so safe and wonderful and amazing, all at the same time. Daddy will understand won't he?"

Her mother hesitated a moment before she said, "Your father has a lot on his mind these days and not everything he says and expresses is his true heart. I know the man who your dad really is and he would be very happy for you but with the things going on right now, I think it is best he is out of town this weekend so you can enjoy this night with your special guy. Both Dad and I really just wanted the best for you sweetie."

Gabriella threw her arms around her mother and hugged Annette tight as Annette returned the embrace, etching this moment in her mind. The moment ended when Tessa and Taylor came into the room with grins on their faces. Tessa was holding up a black skirt with red, pink, and violet flowers printed sporadically across the material that would fall to Gabriella's knees while Taylor held up a red sweater seat and red heels.

"This is the best we can come up with in this short amount of time. Sweet yet with a hint of sultry with the cut of the tank under the sweater," informed Tessa with a smirk.

Annette laughed at this and shook her head. "You girls look like you have it under control up here. I better get downstairs just in case Troy comes. Be mindful of the time girls!"

None of the three girls gave Annette's departure much more thought as they got to work on getting Gabriella dressed, making sure she had all the right accessories and of course fixing her hair, pulling half of the wavy tresses up while leaving the rest to temptingly hang around her shoulders. When Tessa and Taylor were done, they stepped back to take in Gabriella who slowly turned around for their approval.

"PERFECT!" declared Taylor with a smile just as the doorbell rang. "Man, that has to be a record for putting together someone for a magical first date in the shortest amount of time with a beautiful result."

Tessa nodded her head. "I completely agree! Now, Gabriella, just remember to breathe as you go down those stairs okay? After all this work I really don't want you passing out and falling down those stairs. It'll mess up your fairy tale and very cliché walk down the stairs for your dear boyfriend to see you."

Gabriella couldn't help but laugh as this, silently very thankful that both girls were with her at this moment. Taylor and Tessa gave Gabriella a hug each before they dashed out of the room so they could watch Troy's reaction.

Alone in the room, Gabriella gave herself another moment to look herself over in the mirror, satisfied with the wonderful job her mother and two best friends had done with her. She started to walk out of her bedroom but returned to her bed to pick up her black purse that Taylor had picked out for her from Gabriella's closet. Gabriella then walked out into the hallway and made her way to the stairs, taking in a deep breath and letting it out before she came into view of the four people waiting for her downstairs.

'Wow, maybe these moments in movies really aren't all that exaggerated,' thought Tessa with a grin as she saw her best friend finally appear at the top of the stairs and then looked at the speechless Troy, who had not a shocked look on his face but one that spoke of his amazement of Gabriella's beauty.

Sparkling blue eyes met nervous brown eyes as the couple finally made eye contact before Gabriella slowly started walking down the stairs, never diverting her attention away from Troy. She did use this time though to survey Troy's appearance and was left wanting for nothing as he was handsomely dressed in a pair of khakis and a blue button up shirt that brought out his eyes even more. 'God, he really is cute,' thought Gabriella, blushing at the thought.

Troy caught that blush and chuckled, wondering silently what his girlfriend was thinking. 'Whatever it is, at least it is making her smile and blush. Brie really is so adorable when she does that. God, she really is gorgeous,' thought Troy before he walked to the base of the stairs to meet Gabriella, who finally reached the bottom step. "You look beautiful Brie."

Gabriella blushed deeper at this but rewarded him with a sweet smile. She met his lips halfway in a quick but sweet kiss, both mindful that there were other people in the room that they could trust but didn't deserve to be an audience of too much mushiness. They heard giggles and both looked over to see Taylor and Tessa happily looking back at them.

Annette laughed at this, thinking of how lucky Gabriella really had gotten this time around in their move. 'She really does need this support system of her friends right now, more than ever. I just hope they are all going to be there for her when the truth gets out,' hoped Annette in her mind as she witnessed Troy kissing Gabriella's cheek while he laced their fingers together, his left holding her right. Annette cleared her throat, knowing she should send the two young lovebirds on their way. "Troy, Gabriella, you two better get going. Just don't forget curfew tonight, all right sweetie?"

Gabriella nodded her understanding before she turned and walked out of the house with Troy's hand still intertwined with hers.

As soon as the door closed, Taylor and Tessa started jumping out of excitement of seeing Gabriella off on her first real date with her dream guy. "WE DID IT! WE DID IT!" screamed both of them, alternating between that and just screaming until they finally calmed down, realizing that Annette had been chuckling while she had watched the two teenagers.

"Well, I think this deserves a celebration of sorts. Do you two want to stick around and hang out with a mom for ice cream sundaes here in the house? It's only fair that we have our dessert before dinner tonight in celebration," offered Annette.

Both girls' eyes lit up at the idea. "I'm so in! No wonder Gabriella is so cool! She's got an amazing mom!" exclaimed Tessa.

"I'd love to stay before heading home for dinner Mrs. Montez," replied Taylor, always to be the one more composed than Tessa.

For the next forty minutes, the two girls and Annette fixed their sundaes and enjoyed them while they chatted about themselves but mostly about what the sweet couple out on their first official date were probably doing at that moment.

- - -

After twenty-five minutes of driving, Troy parked his parent's compact car in the parking lot of a nice seafood and pasta restaurant that was neither in Wildcat or Knight territory. Troy quickly got out and ran around to Gabriella's side of the car to open the door for her, his reward being a kiss from her as she got out of the car. Their hands naturally found each other as they walked towards the restaurant and entered with Troy holding the door open for her. 'Such the gentleman,' thought Gabriella as she gave him a small smile for his efforts.

The hostess sat them down at a table towards the back of the restaurant but next to a window. Not to break his good manners shown this evening, Troy made sure that he helped Gabriella sit in her chair before he sat down across from her, grinning as he saw the slight blush on her cheeks. 'She really is precious,' thought Troy before forcing himself to look at the menu.

After ordering their meals and their drinks, Gabriella and Troy were left to stare at each other, both suddenly feeling shy around the other. Troy decided to be the brave one and said, "So, garlic chicken fettuccini, nice pick."

Gabriella looked at Troy for another moment before she burst into giggles, causing Troy to laugh lightly with her. "Thanks Troy, I needed that," got out Gabriella between giggles before she calmed herself down. "I don't know why but after all this time, I think labeling tonight as our first official date got me all sorts of nervous."

Troy nodded his agreement. "I know what you mean, I've been going back and forth between nerves and excitement all day. What do you say we just forget the title of the night and just enjoy each other's company?"

"I'm all on board for that," returned Gabriella. "This is really a nice restaurant Troy. How'd you find it?"

"Oh, I've come here a few times with my parents before and I knew that it was a good enough distance away from any of our classmates so they won't be interrupting us or putting a snare on our special, non-labeled night. I know that we still have to be sly with this relationship of ours but I figured it was no reason to not take you to a nice dinner," explained Troy. "I mean, it's not our fault that everyone else is too closed minded to see that we are just right for each other despite the differences, school and social standing in the schools both. Sometimes I do wish that we could just be ourselves and not have to worry about someone seeing us and starting some stupid fight over it."

"I know," agreed Gabriella, "but unfortunately, that is our reality. But as you said, as long as we are careful, there's no reason why we need to punish ourselves by hiding indoors all the time. I'm glad we did this tonight."

"Me too," responded Troy. "So, tell me how your past week was."

Gabriella thought for a moment before she answered. "It was all right, a bit on the boring side since some of the classes are going through what I've gone through at my other schools. Like in Honors English we are covering _Romeo and Juliet_, which I've done in two other English classes and a drama class at my other schools but in that case I don't mind. I simply find that story/play so tragically romantic that it's actually a favorite but that's just an example."

"Tragically romantic? I hope you are just talking about Shakespeare's works and not our future," teased Troy. He soon realized that wasn't quite the right thing to say as Gabriella blankly looked at him back. "Sorry, probably shouldn't have joked about that in that manner."

She shook her head at this. "It's just that I've secretly pondered and worried in some ways that we could be like that so I don't really think it's a laughing matter. I mean, I don't think either of us will die in the end like the couple in the story but haven't you sat back and thought about how our lives parallel that story in some ways?"

"No," answered Troy. "In truth, I think you are far more intellectual than I am. I hate to be the typical jock here but I guess I never really give much thought to the literary works we read in school unless I'm doing homework. That didn't just make me sound brainless did it?"

Gabriella saw his worried expression and gave him a small smile. "No, not at all. Everyone is different, right? Just like I don't even begin to pretend that I know that much about basketball. That's a subject you could definitely dribble circles around me about. As for the parallelism, it's just that our schools are like the two different families and they are rivals so consequently they want to keep us apart. There's also the elements of drama and violence and tension that seem to follow us around too. I honestly don't want to see our relationship end up as a tragic romance, despite how much I adore Shakespeare's work."

Troy nodded his head. "I completely understand what you are saying here.What about us shooting for a classic fairytale romance then? One that ends in 'and they lived happily ever after'. I could be your prince who saves his beautiful princess from something horrible like controlling parents or a fire breathing dragon."

He had expected an immediate smile to this and was slightly curious as to why Gabriella paled a little before she recovered and put a forced smile on her face. "I'd settle for you being my Wildcat who cares for me as I truly am and nothing more or less," replied Gabriella, meaning every word she said.

"I think I can do that," stated Troy with a grin, forgetting the awkward moment right before her answer. "So, I think our golf team is going to meet up with West next week. Care to come and secretly support me? No one would question your appearance since your school will be there."

Gabriella thought a moment to her schedule and nodded her head. "Sure. Tell me time and place and I'll be there, Tessa dragged along and maybe Taylor if we can work that out so that's not so obvious she's there with us. Seriously, all this secrecy is just horrible, even for two people who want to be friends. Do you even know how this all started?"

Troy thought back to the history he had heard and his own motives from before to dislike the other high school. "Well, no one really knows when it clearly started but this rivalry between East and West started way before our class was even born. Some say it was over a Knight stealing away a Wildcat's girlfriend while others say it was over the East basketball team stealing away West's dynasty of being reigning champions several years in a row and not letting them have it back for ten years. There's a lot of variations but every story tells of tension and a reason why the two schools do not like each other, even for those students who have nothing to do with sports. I know for me, it was about your basketball members being complete jerks whenever we met them, even back in JV freshman year. Riley and I do have a history of bringing the worst out of each other but we've never been truly violent besides fouls here and there. I honestly used to hate all Knights because of those guys I've come into contact with through basketball. Golf guys aren't so bad but I had a sour taste in my mouth because of that basketball team."

She absorbed everything Troy just said before she said, "So you really were a big player in this rivalry before huh? What changed? You seem to be trying to keep things quiet now."

"Do you really need to ask that?" asked Troy. "You are what changed me. I don't even really know when it happened but as soon as I realized you were in town and were a Knight, it made me open my eyes a little more and realize that not all Knights are bad, especially when I met your Tessa, Sarah, and Beth. It made me see how stupid I've really been to be a part of this rivalry but I have to be honest and admit that I thought my reasons for being a part of it were right and true. Riley and his crew have always been jerks to everyone from any other school, especially East, and from I hear, he isn't that much kinder to his own kind. My belief about the Knights being the spawn of evil really was just a lack of grouping everyone together based on a single experience with the wrong crowd of Knights apparently."

"And you said you sound unintelligent! That was really well put Troy, honestly. I think I'm somewhat floored you attribute the change to me but it's nice to hear that from you and to know that you don't think so badly about Knights now," replied Gabriella. "What I want to know now though is what young Troy was like. I'm sure knowing Chad as I know him now that the two of you were a pair of mischief makers way before Jason and Zeke became part of your circle of friendship."

Troy chuckled at this. "You have no idea. There was this one time in first grade where Chad and I decided it would be fun to give Chad's little crush at the time a banana slug we found out in the school yard. Little did we know that when he handed it to her that she would scream her head off and cry. We got scolded by our teacher right away for it as she forced me to pick it up from the desk where the girl dropped it and put it outside."

Gabriella giggled at this. "I can totally see that happening today! But that's pretty mild actually, normal little boy behavior. At least you didn't drop a worm down her back! I had that happen to me in kindergarten. I remember crying so hard and the teacher trying to soothe me, telling me that it was a sign that the offender was just trying to tell me that he liked me."

Laughter continued between the two throughout dinner as they traded stories from their childhood days while also talking about some of the bad times as well when they were more serious. They continued to talk and get to know each other even better long after they finished their dessert and Troy paid the bill before Gabriella could say anything, leaving the waiter a generous tip for allowing the couple to occupy his table way past the average time for diners there.

Gabriella glanced at her watch and flushed, realizing that there was only thirty minutes until her curfew. "I can't believe how much time has gone by. I hate to do this Troy but we have to get going. I have curfew in half an hour."

Troy looked down at his own watch and nodded his agreement. "Wow, I didn't realize that much time had passed already. Guess the saying is true, 'time flies when you're having fun'."

Gabriella smiled back at him as he got up and helped her out of her chair. 'He really is such the gentleman,' thought Gabriella as she took his hand and they walked out of the restaurant, the waiter shouting out his thanks to them for the large tip.

After helping Gabriella into the car, Troy ran around and got into the driver's seat for the drive home. Both were fairly quiet now, letting each other think about their night together, both with smiles on their faces as they realized how right this felt. 'We really do connect on so many levels,' thought Gabriella. 'Troy even seems to know what I'm saying without much explaining, which is really nice. I've never known a guy to get me so well and so easily.'

'Brie really gets me, she sees the real me and not the stereotypical jock that all the East High girls see. She gives me the opportunity to show that I'm not dumb and when I sound dumb even to my own ears, she never makes me feel it. I wonder how I got so lucky to find her again,' wondered Troy, glancing over at Gabriella to see she had a sweet smile on her face. 'Looks like I've left a similar feeling on her as she has me.'

When Troy finally pulled up to the Montez driveway, he glanced at the car's clock and saw they had two minutes before Gabriella turned into a teenaged pumpkin. "We better get you inside."

Gabriella nodded and got out of the car when Troy opened it again for her, smiling wider as their gazes connected. He closed the door and held her hand in his as they walked up to her front door, Gabriella unlocking the door and popping it open to let her mom know she was home on time. "I've had a wonderful time tonight Troy, really. I guess we kind of forgot about the movie huh?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot. We can go tomorrow night if you want," responded Troy, hopeful she would accept.

"Sure, I'd like that," answered Gabriella. "I guess then this is good night until then?"

"Good night sweet Brie," said Troy, leaning in and kissing Gabriella soundly on the mouth, both enjoying the sparks and the warm sensation the meeting of their lips created.

Troy brought Gabriella's body closer to his, wrapping his arms around her waist in the process as she wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to get closer to him. A soft clearing of the throat brought them back to reality though as they pulled away and both blushed as they saw Annette standing the doorway.

"Good night Troy," said Annette with a smile, letting both teens relax at being caught kissing while they were still embarrassed by it.

"Good night Mrs. Montez, good night Brie," returned Troy, a blush still on his cheeks.

"Night Troy," answered Gabriella, kissing him softly on his cheek before ducking into her house with her mom closing the door. Once the door was closed, Annette gave Gabriella a knowing look, which made Gabriella blush even more, knowing exactly what her mother was thinking. "Okay, so I really like him and that was the best kiss ever. Do you really have to tease me?"

Annette laughed at this and held up her hands in defense. "Hey, I didn't even say anything!"

"You never do, I just know because of this mother-daughter bond we have," returned Gabriella. "Thank you mom for letting me go tonight. It was so wonderful! It's okay if I go to the movies with him tomorrow night, right?"

"Sure, but didn't you guys go tonight?" questioned Annette, confused by her daughter's plans.

"We were planning to but we ended up just talking all night at this great restaurant he took me too," explained Gabriella.

Annette grinned at this, already seeing the bond these two were developing together. "All right, just make sure you are home on time. Your father is also coming back late tomorrow night so be mindful of that, okay?"

Gabriella nodded her head. "Thank you. Good night Mom," said Gabriella while giving Annette a big hug, which Annette warmly returned.

"Good night sweet daughter," replied Annette as she watched her daughter go upstairs to her room. 'I only hope this all works out for you in the end.'


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Gabriella let out a soft, wistful sigh as she put in her combination to her locker that Monday morning following the movie date she had with Troy. Actually, what had her in such a wonderful mood were the memories from this weekend spent with a certain brown haired boy who caused her to lose her concentration with a mere smile, her heart to skip a beat by just being there, and to almost faint before she got a grip on her herself when he winked at her. 'Could it be? Am I really, truly falling for Troy Bolton, Wildcat Superstar?' wondered Gabriella as she finally managed to get her locker open and began to take stuff for her first few periods of the day.

When she closed the locker door, she noticed Paul coming towards her, giving her a worried look when he was half way to her. Gabriella gave him a confused look in return, wondering what caused the sudden change in facial expressions until she smelled and felt a certain presence before she seeing him. "Riley," got out Gabriella, breaking eye contact with Paul and looking at Riley, who was now standing right in front of her.

"Gabriella," returned Riley, a sneer on his face. "So after all our time together, you're still chasing after Bolton huh? I honestly thought better of you. Do you really want to be the real true slut and trash of West High? It seems to me that you do."

Gabriella couldn't help but pale at these words, also feeling a loss of breath as she stared back into those serious yet somehow evil looking brown eyes of his. "I don't know what you're talking about," murmured Gabriella, angry at herself that she couldn't find the courage to really stand up to him. 'To be honest, I'm too freaking scared right now.'

"A little birdy told me that there's a rumor you and Golden Dork over at East have been dating, trying to sneak around. I really don't want to believe that Gabriella, you're too smart for that," stated Riley. "Besides, why would you have to outsource to another school when you've got a great catch here in me? I'm all you need, more than you will ever want."

As Riley started to advance on her, Gabriella backed up until she felt the cold metal of her locker right behind her, her locker's combination lock digging into her back. "Riley, please… Leave me alone," got out Gabriella, desperation evident in her voice even to her own ears. 'I've never had any trouble putting him in his place before but then again, I've never seen that look on his face before.'

"No, I don't think that I can now. See? Riley Sutton always gets what he wants, including girls, and you will not be an exception to that. Now, tell me honestly, are you seeing that trash from East High? I want the truth for the last time Gabriella, now!" demanded Riley, his voice edged with a tone that spoke volumes of danger.

When Gabriella just stayed quiet, averting her eyes from him, Riley got frustrated and slammed both hands against the lockers, one hand on each side of her head. The sudden movement and loud noise made Gabriella jump, causing her to look up into those brown eyes that were filled with so many dark emotions that she could read too well. Somewhere in Gabriella's mind though, an image of Troy and his faint bruises from a beating he received from Riley while she was gone came to her mind, accompanied with another of Troy at the diner the morning after the Masquerade Ball. 'I can't let Riley get the better of me, even as dangerous as he seems right now. If I keep letting him scare me, we'll never be free,' thought Gabriella.

While Gabriella was thinking, Riley was getting more furious by the second at Gabriella's behavior. 'She's mine, everyone here at West knows it and every guy from every other school should know this too! If I can't have her, no one is going to have Gabriella,' promised Riley in his head, oblivious to the change of emotions in Gabriella's own brown eyes that went from fear to determination.

"So, what's the final word on this Gabriella? Do you want to be part of West High's elite or are you going to be a member of the trash?" demanded Riley, his voice sharper than before.

Gabriella paused for a moment and drew in a deep breath before she gathered all her courage and looked Riley back in the eyes. "If being a member of the Knight's elite involves you, count me as a member of the trash then," stated Gabriella, slowly and clearly, stunning Riley, who was only able to stare, his mouth slightly ajar in shock at her words. She took this opportunity and ducked from under his right arm and started walking away quickly, realizing in this process that there was a large group of students gathered around, watching this drama. 'Stupid rumor mill…'

She was making her way through the crowd, which was slowly dispersing to their appropriate classes, when she felt a painful grip on her right arm that caused her to wince in pain. Gabriella was able to connect gazes with Paul, who was now fighting his way to get through the crowd as soon as he saw the panicked look on her face before Gabriella was spun around to face a very angry Riley. "DON'T YOU DARE WALK AWAY FROM ME, SLUT!" yelled Riley, making many of the students, including Gabriella, jump at his voice. "YOU NEVER WALK AWAY FROM ME, HEAR ME?"

Before anyone could blink, there was a loud sound that echoed through the hall as Riley's right palm met Gabriella's cheek in such a hard slap that Gabriella immediately felt her face sting with pain while her head snapped from the force, immediately tasting something coppery in her mouth, blood. Riley's assault didn't stop there though as he grabbed Gabriella's upper arms and dragged her towards him with such a force that she stumbled into his body before Riley smashed his lips down on hers, pushing so hard and slamming her into a set of lockers.

Gabriella tried fighting back, finding any source of courage and energy she could find to fend him off of her until she was finally able to push him back a little and stepped on the inside of his right foot, hard, right before Riley's weight was pulled completely off of her. She watched as Riley was actually tackled to the ground by Paul, the only one brave enough out of the entire crowd gathered around to step in and help her. Gabriella helplessly watched as Paul and Riley began to roll around, exchanging blows with one another. Her own pain was pushed aside with sudden worry over Paul's safety as he ended up being pinned under the basketball captain. Unable to figure something else to help him, Gabriella launched herself onto Riley's back, trying to get the larger guy off of Paul.

Sensing only a distraction from his main focus, beating the crap out of the guy who dared to interfere with Riley's intentions, Riley swung out and threw whoever was on his back off of him, only realizing in the back of his head there was a loud crack as the "helper" ended up being thrown against the lockers. Riley continued swinging at Paul while Paul himself managed to get a few solid blows in before the two guys were forcefully separated by campus security and Principal Martin, who looked none too pleased to see the crowd of onlookers who had skipped the start of first period to watch this fight.

He surveyed the group of students around and dismissed them with a look, which caused all of them to scurry away. It was only when the crowd cleared that Principal Martin realized that Gabriella was on the ground and being held by a brunette girl, who he recognized as Tessa Grainger. Seeing that Gabriella was being comforted by who he supposed was her friend, Principal Martin turned his attention back on the two boys that were glaring at each other. "Both of you, in my office, now!" demanded the principal as the campus security team escorted both boys down the hall to the administration office.

Gabriella watched through her tears from the pain as Riley and Paul were escorted to the office, both having thrown her one last look. Paul's was of deep concern while Riley's seemed to promise something dark, something that gave Gabriella the creeps.

"Are you all right Miss Montez?" asked Principal Martin who crouched down next to the two girls. He grimaced as she fully turned her face towards his and he was able to see the bruises already forming on her cheek and some blood. He clucked his tongue and let out a sigh. "Miss Grainger, can you please escort Miss Montez to the nurse?"

"I'm sorry Principal Martin about the fight but please don't punish Paul for sticking up for me," begged Gabriella as Tessa helped her stand up. "No one else in this school would have done what he did for me, which means that I would have most likely been in a sorrier state if not for him."

Principal Martin nodded his head in understanding. "I'll keep that in mind Miss Montez. Now, please, go see the nurse."

Gabriella nodded her head and leaned a little into Tessa's hold on her, more than she would have liked but couldn't help from doing, as the two best friends started to walk down the hall in the opposite direction of the principal's office. Tessa stayed with Gabriella as the nurse looked over Gabriella, deciding that her injuries weren't severe enough to send her to the hospital but enough to stay out for the rest of the day to rest with ice and pain medication. After some begging, Tessa was also excused by the nurse for the rest of the day to go home and take care of Gabriella, especially after the nurse called Mrs. Montez and was informed that Gabriella's mother was in the middle of a very long and important client meeting but the message would be delivered to Annette about her daughter being sent home with some injuries. The two stopped by the principal's office to make sure they didn't need to be talked to before they left West High's grounds, both thankful that Principal Martin seemed to believe the truth in what they had each told them quickly before he dismissed them both to go home.

Since Tessa caught a ride with Sarah that morning, she offered to drive Gabriella's car back home with Gabriella in the passenger's seat, able to hold the two ice packs to her cheek and the back of her head where she had made contact with the locker after she had tried to break up the fight. After arriving at the Montez household, Tessa parked the car and then helped Gabriella out of the car, into the house, and up to her bedroom where she immediately lay down on, wincing as her head rested on her pillow. Gabriella put the ice pack on the pillow before laying down on it, closing her eyes to try to get control of the pain throbbing through her head.

Tessa watched from her seat on the edge of the bed and just shook her head at the sorry state Gabriella was in, the state that Riley had put her in. Before she could censor herself, Tessa burst out and screamed, "RILEY SUTTON IS SUCH A CREEP! I SWEAR NEXT TIME I SEE HIM, HE'S A DEAD JOCK!"

Gabriella's eyes snapped open at this as she quickly sat up to look at her friend, who just had the biggest outburst Gabriella had ever seen, wincing from her efforts as her head started to feel both painful and woozy, forcing her back down. "Tessa, please, calm down," begged Gabriella, looking at the brunette the best she could from her position on the bed. "I fully agree that Riley is scum but we can't do anything now and further violence isn't going to get us anywhere."

"How can you say that?" demanded Tessa as she stood up and started pacing the room. "He's a monster Gaby, pure and simple. Riley needs to leave you alone, period."

"To which I also agree but again, not through violence," replied Gabriella, closing her eyes again and fighting the urge to vomit from the dizziness. Unable to take it anymore, Gabriella forced herself to stand and move as fast as she could over to the bathroom where she promptly threw up in the toilet, flushing when she was done, and leaning her head carefully back onto the glass of the shower door.

Tessa ran in and instantly forgot about her tirade on Riley when she saw how pale her best friend was. "Oh Gaby, I'm so sorry. I was so angry at Riley that I didn't see how bad you really are. Are you sure you don't want to go to the doctor's? What do you need?"

Gabriella shook her head, which brought back the dizzy feeling again. "Can you get me some extra strength Tylenol from the medicine cabinet? That may help and no, no doctors."

Tessa did as was requested and sat down next to Gabriella on the bathroom floor as Gabriella drank some water from the bathroom cup Tessa had filled before swallowing the pills and laying her head back against the shower door. When Tessa wrapped her arm comfortingly around her best friend, Gabriella thankfully leaned onto her shoulder, resting her head there as she tried to control the emotions and physical symptoms of soreness and sickness she was feeling at the moment. She watched absently as Tessa pulled out her cell phone from her front pocket and flipped it open, texting someone with her right hand.

"Who are you texting Tess?" asked Gabriella before she closed her eyes.

"Sarah and Beth to see if they know what happened to Riley and Paul," answered Tessa. 'Troy and Tay too, but I'm not going to tell you because you'll freak,' finished the brunette in her head.

"Oh God, Paul," murmured Gabriella, trying to get up but giving up as a wave of nausea came over her again.

Tessa looked over, concerned about Gabriella's state as she did this, very uncomfortable with not taking Gabriella to the doctor's office but it was Gabriella's call. "Don't worry. Paul is fine. He'll have some nice shiners and some bruises after this morning but I'm sure he won't get into serious trouble. He was only protecting you after all. I guess it kind of shows how very real this rivalry and the rules of the schools at West are when no one else stops Riley's behavior towards you besides Paul. I only wish I had been there earlier to have helped. I so would have nailed Riley's behind!"

Gabriella let out a little giggle before she winced from the pain that caused again in her head. "I am sure you would have. Maybe I should try to lie down and rest," said Gabriella as she sat up on her own, bracing herself to try to get up.

Seeing what Gabriella was trying to do, Tessa quickly got up and helped Gabriella stand up and walk back to her bed where she lay down again. Still concerned over Gabriella's state, Tessa jumped onto Gabriella's computer and looked up head injuries to see what possible complications could be before deciding it was best to call her own mother, who was a doctor.

Tessa grabbed her cell phone that was on the bed and hit the speed dial that went straight to her mom's office. 'Please Mom, be there,' begged Tessa.

"Good morning, Dr. Janice Grainger speaking," greeted Tessa's mother.

"Thank God Mom, you are there," said Tessa, standing up and walking out onto the balcony where she could talk freely to her mom while keeping an eye on her best friend.

"Tess, what's wrong?" asked Janice, worry evident in her voice. "Are you okay?"

Just hearing her mother's voice was all it took to unravel Tessa's emotions as she found herself letting a few tears go and then sniffling before she was able to answer her mother. "I'm fine, it's Gabriella. This jerk at school who has been harassing her hurt her and now I'm worried something is wrong but the school nurse said it wasn't severe enough for the emergency room so we are now here at her house."

"How did he hurt Gabriella?" questioned Janice. "Did he rape her?"

"No, not anything like that, thank God. Riley slapped her pretty hard from what I heard from some kid who witnessed it and then grabbed her roughly before she was flung into a set of lockers when she tried to get Riley off our friend Paul. I was only witness to that last part though, everything else I heard from stupid idiots at West who did nothing to help her," explained Tessa, her sadness over her friend's pain being replaced again by her anger.

"Tessa, you need to calm down for me. I want to help you here but I also know how defensive you get about your friends. Focus and tell me about Gabriella. What are her symptoms?" asked Janice.

Tessa took a moment to think about what she had witnessed over the past two hours since Riley's assault. "She's been dizzy, headache, and vomiting. Her bleeding has stopped from her lip but she still has a goose egg on the back of her head and a bruise on her cheek."

There was a pause before Janice spoke again. "Principal Martin knows about this, right? Hopefully he involved the police, I know I would want this boy hauled to jail if he hurt you. That list of injuries and symptoms she is experiencing is not your average verbal harassment high school kids exchange in the halls."

"Yes, he came with the campus security a few moments after I got there but before we left, Gabriella told him that she didn't want police involved, that she didn't want charges pressed," answered Tessa. "I tried to convince her otherwise but she wouldn't listen to me. Anyway, back to the matter at hand, what should I do about Gaby Mom?"

Janice smiled a little at the deep concern she could hear in her daughter's voice. 'She really is close to Gabriella. I'm glad she's finally found that one person she really connects with,' thought Janice before she answered Tessa. "Make sure she has taken some Tylenol for the pain and let her rest. Don't let her sleep for another hour to make sure nothing funny is going on and then let her sleep, waking her up every hour or so to make sure she doesn't lose complete consciousness and to make sure she still remembers everything, date, time, place, etc. I'll swing by the Montez home after work to pick you up, I'm assuming you don't have your car, and I'll bring some stronger pain medicine for her. Make sure to keep an ice pack on and off for the next few hours too. You know the drill, I've gone through it several times with you and your own cuts and bruises."

"Haha, not funny Mom," responded Tessa with a small smile. "Gaby is going to be okay though, right?"

"If all that is wrong is what you said then yes. I'd be concerned if she was unresponsive or didn't remember things but it sounds like she is still lucid, which is a really positive thing. I'm guessing the principal let you skip school to be with Gabriella then?" questioned Janice.

"The nurse actually," replied Tessa. "You aren't mad are you?"

Janice chuckled. "That you went home with your injured best friend to care for her? Of course not. I'd be a bit peeved if you outright ditched but I understand what you must be feeling. Just keep an eye on her, I know she's in good hands. Listen, I have to go because I'm actually now late for a patient. See you in the afternoon, okay?"

"Sure, thank you Mom," replied Tessa before they exchanged good-byes and Tessa hung up the phone. She walked back into Gabriella's room and saw that her best friend was sleeping, noting the time so she would wake her again in forty minutes. Tessa turned on the television in Gabriella's room and lowered the volume and began watching the show of most interest to her from the little couch. Her phone beeped, which indicated a message, so Tessa flipped it open and saw that it was a reply from Taylor.

_Is G okay? Troy is freaking out she's hurt. What happened?  
_  
'Figures he'd freak,' thought Tessa with a smile over the concern she knew Troy had for her best friend. 'Troy really does care deeply for Gaby, despite everything.'

_G is fine for now, not anything to skip school for, I'm here. I'll fill you in on details later.  
_  
Tessa pushed the send button and closed her phone, turning her attention back to the television. It wasn't until after she woke Gabriella up for the second time in two plus hours that she got a text back from Beth.

_Riley got suspension for a few weeks for the fight, Paul got detention for a week after school. Gab okay?  
_  
'At least Riley got actual punishment. I was worried as star basketball god he wouldn't be.' Tessa texted Beth back to let her know that Gabriella was fine and asked if she and Sarah could pick up work for both girls. With that done, Tessa allowed herself to lay back on the couch while munching on the lunch that she had brought to school that morning, keeping an eye on Gabriella while watching television.

- - -

As 4 PM rolled around, Gabriella was still sleeping off and on with Tessa dutifully waking her up only for the first part of the afternoon and letting her sleep as Gabriella wanted to after establishing that Gabriella was okay, hurt and in pain but not in danger of anything more serious. Sarah and Beth had come over earlier to drop off the work Tessa had requested and stayed a little while to visit but not too long so they wouldn't bother Gabriella, who still wasn't feeling that great. Paul had also come by and sat with Gabriella, talking to her softly to let her know that he was okay and that he was more worried about her. He too left after some time to give Gabriella rest, thanking Tessa for staying with Gabriella before he left.

Taylor was now sitting with Tessa on the couch in Gabriella's room as the two were just starting to talk about what happened at West that morning. Before Tessa could get into great detail, the doorbell rang again so Tessa put the story on hold and went downstairs to answer the door, not really that surprised that Troy was standing on the doormat with a small arrangement of Gerbera daisies of various colors in a colorful square vase. "Hi Troy, come in," greeted Tessa, making room for him to come in before closing the door behind him. "Here to see Gaby I'm guessing."

Troy nodded his head. "Is she truly okay?"

"She's doing better from what I can tell. Gaby is actually sleeping right now but I'm sure she'd be happy to see you," said Tessa, leading Troy up the stairs to Gabriella's room.

Troy paused on the threshold of his girlfriend's bedroom as he saw her sleeping but noted the dark markings on her face and some if the dried blood from a cut on her lip. 'This has the markings of Sutton all over it,' thought Troy, anger boiling inside him.

Tessa saw the look of hatred for the other guy pass over Troy's face so she went over and grabbed Troy's hand to bring him into the room, closer to Gabriella's bed. She took the vase from him and placed it on Gabriella's bedside table before taking a seat on the small couch next to Taylor again. Both girls watched as Troy sat on the edge of the bed and gently brushed some of Gabriella's hair back from her face before he leaned down and kissed her forehead. Seeing that Gabriella hadn't stirred, Troy tucked the blanket over her in more before he got up and grabbed the desk chair to sit in front of the two girls to find out what happened.

Without another word, Tessa retold the events that led to their departure of West High in the morning, looking at both Taylor's curious face and Troy's darkening expression. When she was done, Tessa and Taylor both saw that Troy was clenching his fists hard, giving them both images of what he was thinking of doing at that very moment to a certain other basketball captain.

Gabriella opened her eyes and woke up a little at that exact moment and turned her head, which thankfully didn't hurt as much as it did the last time she was up, and blinked a few times to focus on the three people in her room. "Troy?" she got out, a little hoarse from all the sleep she just had.

Troy whipped his head around towards the bed at the small voice and immediately got up to sit next to Gabriella again, taking her right hand in his. "Hey sleepyhead, how are you?" greeted Troy, pushing away the immense anger and frustration he harbored over the morning's events. "You gave me a bit of a scare when I heard about this morning. Are you feeling better?"

"I think so," responded Gabriella. "You didn't have to. Won't you get in trouble for skipping golf practice?"

Troy waved his hand at this. "I talked to Coach before I came over. You are so much more important to me. Can I get you something? Water or some more Tylenol?"

"Water sounds good," replied Gabriella, closing her eyes a little again before refocusing on Troy.

"I'll be right back then," responded Troy before he got up and went downstairs to get the glass of water.

Taylor chose this time to make her presence known as she and Tessa both walked over to stand by the side of Gabriella's bed. "Hey girl, I'm glad to see you finally awake," greeted Taylor.

"Hi," replied Gabriella. "I'm glad to see you Taylor but you really didn't need to come out of your way to see me."

"Don't be silly. I wanted to check on you and also find out what happened. I'm so sorry that jock is such a major jerk," said Taylor.

Tessa nodded her head in agreement. "I only wish that I was there earlier to have maybe stopped this."

Gabriella slightly shook her head. "No, I don't think anything really would have changed this. If it wasn't today, it probably would have been later. That look in Riley's eyes, I knew there was trouble and it was my own fault for really taunting him."

"What do you mean Brie?" asked Troy as he made his way back to her side and helped her sit up in the bed so she could drink some of the water he brought up. "What could you have possibly done to provoke him?"

She closed her eyes and thought back to the events of the morning, reliving the conversation before the violence. "Riley was trying to get me to admit to the rumor he heard from some other student about us dating and I tried to avoid the question, knowing I'd never be able to lie about that without chancing him seeing the truth. He actually scared me this morning with just the look and feel he had about him before he lifted a hand to me. I cowered for a bit but then I remembered how you Troy had gotten so hurt by him in the past and I decided then and there that I wasn't going to let him scare me anymore. I told him I'd rather be West trash than elite with him and thought I had escaped before he pulled back and slapped me, kissed me, and then a little later threw me up against some lockers while he was fighting Paul," explained Gabriella, wincing at the red shade Troy's face turned at this. "I'm sorry I let him get that close to me Troy and honestly I didn't want to kiss him. I tried to fight him off but I couldn't."

"Oh Gabriella, no, I'm not upset at you at all, please believe me Brie," said Troy immediately, stepping forward and sitting on the edge of the bed again so he could pull Gabriella's upper body close to his. He allowed her to cry a little into his neck as all her emotions came tumbling out while Troy stroked her back and her hair.

After some time, Gabriella pulled back and gave Troy a small smile as he wiped away the tears that were still hanging onto her cheeks, using soft pressure especially on her bruised cheek. She noticed the arrangement on her bedside table and then looked at Troy. "Are those from you?"

Troy got a shy look on his face, which confirmed her suspicions. "Yes. It's just a little something I thought maybe you could use to cheer yourself up with today. I think I have to say I'm sorry here though," said Troy. "Some time ago, you said that I always made you feel so safe and here I am this afternoon not having kept you safe. What type of boyfriend does that make me?"

"Troy, you couldn't have helped this. It happened at school and everything happened so fast that it took Paul some time to manage to jump into the fray. I don't blame you at all, not at all," replied Gabriella. "Seriously, just as much as you don't want me to feel guilty at having kissed Riley today, I don't want you worrying about this and how you weren't there. You can't protect me from everything and I realize that."

"Still, it doesn't make what he did any better," answered Troy. "How are you going to go back to school with him there?"

"Actually, she won't have to worry about that for a few weeks," interrupted Tessa. "Riley got suspended for a few weeks while Paul got some detentions. Riley's minions will still be around but I doubt they'll strike while this is so fresh. They aren't complete morons, at least I don't think so, well sometimes."

Gabriella and Taylor smiled a little at this. "Thanks Tessa," said Gabriella. "Look, I really appreciate that the three of you are here but I know you all have something better to do than look at me sleep or whatever I feel like doing. You don't have to stay here, I'll be fine."

"No way, I'd rather be here with you than doing homework or golfing, honest," responded Troy with a grin. "Should I be worried though that you want me gone?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "No, I certainly would love if you could be around all the time but I just don't want to make you stay up late doing homework or something because you are here now."

Taylor suppressed a laugh at this, which caused Troy to look back at her. "And that means what McKessie?" asked Troy, his right eyebrow quirked.

"Sorry, just the image of East's leading athlete doing homework kind of struck me as funny. I'm not saying you are dumb Troy, but I know Chad doesn't do any unless his father ties him down to his desk," replied Taylor.

Troy chuckled at this. "That's true about Chad but unlike him, I actually get a decent GPA, thank you very much."

Taylor held her hands in surrender. "I stand corrected then!"

The four teens continued to talk between them, just hanging out until the doorbell rang again, which revealed Janice with some medicine for Gabriella. While she was there, Tessa's mother insisted on checking over Gabriella and was satisfied that the young girl seemed to be on the mend. Gabriella took the pills that were handed to her by Janice and gave her a grateful hug for her help before hugging Tessa even more, thanking her for sticking with her through the whole ordeal from the morning until now.

"I wouldn't have it any other way. I trust boyfriend here can watch you until your mom gets home though. She called the house phone about two and a half hours ago and promised she was driving back from her onsite client meeting a few hours out of Albuquerque. I guess the nurse or the secretary didn't relay the severity of what happened otherwise your mom would have skipped out, at least that's what she said," replied Tessa before hugging Gabriella again and leaving with her own mom.

Taylor left soon after, not wanting to be a third wheel in the room any longer than necessary. Once Taylor had hugged Gabriella good-bye and left the room, Troy followed Taylor down to let her out and to lock the door. "Thanks Tay for being Brie's friend and supporting us," said Troy before Taylor left the porch.

Taylor turned back and gave him a smile. "I support you two because you both seem to genuinely care for each other and you make her happy Troy. You aren't such a bad guy after all," replied Taylor. "I'm your friend too by the way, should you need me."

"Thank you for that, same goes for me. If you ever need anything like hooking you up with Chad or something, let me know," teased Troy, winking in the process.

She rolled her eyes at this. "Whatever Bolton. I'll see you at school tomorrow. Go take care of our girl!"

Troy chuckled before he closed and locked the door. He made his way back to Gabriella's room and saw that she was laying down again, her eyes closed. Troy was about to leave when he heard her soft voice say, "Troy, please stay. Will you hold me while I rest some more?"

Unable to resist, Troy walked over to the bed and kicked off his shoes before getting on the bed next to her. He molded his body around hers while he wrapped her in his arms, allowing her to snuggle into his body. A few moments later, Gabriella drifted off to sleep with a soft smile playing on her lips as she knew that nothing would happen to her now that she had the most caring guy in the world holding her securely, his mere presence giving her the peace of mind she needed to get some solid sleep that her body craved.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

_Gabriella looked around at the place she and Troy had ended up hiking to that morning, having planned a real secret getaway where they could picnic and talk in peace. They were now on top of a cliff that overlooked the beauty that was nature down below, making her feel like she and Troy were the only people in the world at that moment. She heard a soft clearing of the throat and turned around smiling at Troy, who was looking up at her from where he was seated on the blanket he had spread out with some sandwiches and fruit. Quickly, she sat down on the blanket and took a bite out of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich he made her and gave him a smile to let him know that she enjoyed it. _

The two talked for what seemed like hours before they cleaned up and laid down on the blanket together, resting in each other's arms, sharing some kisses here and there, just enjoying each other's company and the serenity that this spot offered.

"I KNEW IT! GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY GIRL BOLTON!" demanded an angry voice from behind them, causing both Troy and Gabriella to sit up immediately, both spotting Riley, who was now standing right behind where their heads had been laying a second ago. "DID YOU HEAR ME? GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Troy scrambled up and pulled Gabriella with him, pushing her behind him as he squared his shoulders and returned Riley's glare. "Sutton, I don't have to do anything you say. I am my own free person as is Gabriella. She doesn't want to be with you, don't you get it? Please stop embarrassing yourself and walk away now."

"That's it Bolton, you are going down!" screamed Riley before he launched himself towards Troy and tackled him to the ground.

"TROY!" yelled a concerned Gabriella as she watched the two boys wrestle each other, rolling around in the dirt, getting dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. 'Oh my God!'

Gabriella followed their movement as if she could somehow stop this madness but she couldn't think of something fast enough to prevent what happened next.

Riley got in one solid punch into Troy's gut before he pulled himself and the other captain up by the collar so they were standing, face to face, Troy at Riley's mercy. "You really should have stayed away from her like a good Golden Boy would have," sneered Riley right before Troy managed to loosen Riley's grip on him by punching the other guy on the lower part of his neck, effectively hitting Riley's throat. Troy turned around to walk back to Gabriella, who looked so worried, alarmed himself when he saw terror cross Gabriella's face in an instant. He turned back around to see Riley rush towards him with a knife in his hands, which never made contact with its target because Gabriella ran past Troy and pushed Riley, with all her might, causing the West High basketball captain to fall over the cliff. Both Gabriella and Troy ran close to the edge of the cliff to see what happened and saw that Riley's broken body was now lying on the ground, a long distance down, meaning he would never hurt them again.  
  
Gabriella sat up straight in her bed gasping for breath, instantly realizing at once that she was safe, that Troy wasn't in danger, and that she hadn't really pushed Riley off over the cliff. "Drats," murmured Gabriella, immediately placing her right hand over her mouth in shock at hearing herself expressing out loud her wish of seeing another human being harmed. 'That isn't like me at all yet why is the prospect of pushing Riley over a cliff so delightful to me?' 

- - -

It was lunchtime at East High and as usual, Troy was sitting and eating lunch with Chad, Jason, Zeke, and a few other basketball guys. Despite the season change of games, the basketball team's bond seemed to trump all the other sports' teams when it came to friendships. Troy had just finished his first half of his roast beef sandwich when he felt a buzz from his cell phone in his pocket. He fished it out and flipped it open to see a text from Gabriella that made him half choke on his sandwich before he was able to swallow it.

_I pushed Riley over a cliff last night.  
_  
'What in the world? She couldn't have, could she?' he wondered, his heart speeding up at the possibility while his curiosity was piqued as to how that would have come about. He received another text and read it, suddenly realizing what was going on.

_Too bad it was a dream. Is there something wrong with me when I want to hurt a human being without any guilt?  
_  
'Thank God,' thought Troy as he let out a little sigh of relief that Gabriella was fine, that she had just dreamt it.

_Only if there's something wrong with me too. I think I can say that I've had violent fantasies of what I could do to him ever since he laid a finger on you but for you, I've behaved in reality.  
_  
Troy pushed send and closed his phone only to look up and see three pairs of eyes staring at him. "What?"

"You all right? You got sort of a scared and worried look on your face just a second ago," answered Zeke, concern in his eyes.

"Yeah, everything is fine. I was just shocked at something Brie texted is all, looks like she had a bad dream last night," responded Troy.

"Who is Brie?" questioned Jason, getting a roll of the eyes from Chad and Zeke both.

"Gabriella? Troy's crush?" replied Zeke. "Seriously J, when are you going to catch onto things?"

Troy and Chad both chuckled a little as they saw Zeke's comment didn't faze Jason one bit. "So Troy, is Gabriella cool now or what?" asked Chad.

"I think so," answered Troy before he felt his phone vibrate again. He flipped it open and read the newest text.

_And I appreciate that. I can't believe a little Knight girl actually tamed the big bad Wildcat. If only the girls at East knew that my Wildcat has a sweeter purr than a loud roar.  
_  
Troy chuckled and sent a message right back, ignoring the fact that Chad was looking right over Troy's shoulder.

_I would never call you little, you are too much of a young woman for that title. And this Wildcat can still roar, just chooses not to around his girl. See you tonight at dinner with the fam at your house.  
_  
"Dinner at her house with her family I'm guessing? Dude, I think you and I need to talk," said Chad, getting a sneaky suspicion that there was more to this crush than Troy was letting on.

Reluctantly, Troy grabbed the remainder of his lunch and walked out with Chad to a set of benches far away from any other East High student. When they sat, both finished their sandwiches before Troy found himself getting a serious "tell me now" look from his best friend since preschool. "All right, you know I can't stand that look. What do you want to know?" gave in Troy.

"This isn't a crush between you and your Brie anymore is it?" questioned Chad, straight to the point. "When did you two get together?"

Troy let out a sigh. "The night of West's Spring Fling, the same night that Riley laid a hand on her for the first time. We got together that night, as odd as that may seem, but it had been building to that for a long time before she actually allowed us to have a status."

"Status of girlfriend and boyfriend? I can't believe you dude! I'm your best friend and you didn't tell me after a month of being in this serious relationship that you had a girl?" exclaimed Chad before he took a big bite out of his apple. "Dude, what's wrong with you!?"

"Look, I would have told you sooner but I didn't know really how you would take it and things haven't been all that smooth for me and Brie, okay? I wanted to try to work everything out, make sure it was real, and then tell you. I trust you with my life Chad, honest, but the less people knew, the better it was for us. Riley has been a huge threat since before we got together and Brie won't let me lift a finger to set him in his place," explained Troy. "That's why I've been tiptoeing around, so I didn't stir that up and she ended up having a very good sense as to predicting his reaction based on what's happened already, especially earlier this week."

Chad gave Troy a confused look. "What happened earlier this week? Does this have to do with why you were so out of it on Monday?"

Troy nodded his head. "Exactly. Tessa texted me and Taylor to tell us…"

"Hold up! Taylor McKessie? Are you talking about Taylor McKessie knowing about you and your girlfriend and not me?" pushed Chad, unable to believe this.

"Well there is only one Taylor here at East High so yes. Look, please stop getting all offended here Chad. Taylor knows about the relationship because she is super tight with Tessa and Gabriella but those two girls are it. Sarah and Beth, Paul, and especially the rest of my close friends only know that we are really good friends who share chemistry to be more. Yes, I bet a few have guessed already at our change in relationship but no one has it confirmed except those two girls. I'm sorry Chad, all right? Just trust me, I wasn't ready to say anything until now. There has been quite a bit to overcome," said Troy, trying to convey the truth of his words to Chad verbally and through his facial expression.

Chad studied Troy's body language, something he actually had been paying attention to for many years in all his scoping out of girls but also general people watching, and realized that Troy was a bit tormented over not having told Chad before now. Chad nodded his head, signaling all was forgotten. "All right, forgiven and forgotten but never again, you hear me Bolton?"

Troy chuckled a little. "All right, agreed, never again. Anyway, long story short, Riley confronted Gabriella over a rumor of the two of us being together and she ended up never confirming it but got assaulted for her efforts. Her friend Paul bailed her out, he was the only one out of the huge crowd watching. How sick is that?"

"Just is par for West High Knights. They look out for their own but when their leader does or says something, his will is golden," responded Chad. "So is she okay now?"

"She's stronger than most girls I know, that much I give her. It also helps that Riley has been suspended from West and there's rumors around West that his parents actually took him to his grandfather's house up in Colorado as a type of rehab or something. I guess he's supposedly doing manual labor on his grandfather's ranch or something. All I care about though is that he is long gone from Albuquerque right now and that his friends haven't stirred any trouble yet. I am worried about her being over there right now without me. I don't know what I would do if something ever happened to her," confessed Troy.

Chad just shook his head at this. "Man, you really do have it bad for her. I'm sure she's aware and appreciates it. If you ever need a backup against Riley or his crew or whatever, you know I'll back you up in an instant, right?"

Troy smiled at his best friend. "I do, that means a lot Chad. Same here for you, I'll always be there to support you."

The two shared a "manly" hug before pulling away quickly, both coughing out of embarrassment, looking around to see if anyone had seen them before they got up and went back into the cafeteria, throwing away their trash.

"You may be embarrassed by showing that little affection between two guys but your little slut of Knight girlfriend is going to be feeling way more than that if I have anything to do with it," murmured Alicia from where she sat behind the planter, only a few feet away from where Chad and Troy had been sitting on the bench a few moments earlier. She had started to sit there randomly at times ever since Troy very publicly shunned her all those weeks ago when Alicia wanted to be alone at lunch, away from the eyes of East who looked down at her for losing the Superstar as her boyfriend. "Whether it be physical or emotional, I can promise you Troy that you and your stupid girlfriend aren't going to be the better for it when I'm through with you."

- - -

Annette brought out the platter of brownies she had made the night before for dessert and smiled wider as she saw the identical hungry looks on Stephen's and Troy's faces as soon as they saw the brownies get set on the table. 'If only Stephen knew how very similar he really is to Gabriella's boyfriend,' thought Annette before she turned and took the carton of vanilla ice cream from Gabriella. "Vanilla ice cream?"

"Yes please," answered Troy while Stephen got up and offered to scoop it for his wife.

Gabriella smiled at her boyfriend as she took her seat across from him again, smiling a little more as Troy brushed his foot lightly across her ankle as he had been doing through a good portion of dinner. She saw his blue eyes twinkle a little and barely stopped herself from letting out a dreamy sigh, a bad habit she had developed whenever she was around Troy.

Annette caught the wistful look on her daughter's face though as the two teenagers stared at each other and just shook her head. 'Young love. I can only hope that this really lasts for them.'

Stephen wasn't busy enough scooping the ice cream into the four bowls to miss the little exchange either between his daughter and her crush. 'That look between Troy and Gabriella is more than enough to panic any father. I thought I made it clear that Gabriella wasn't to get too serious with him when we got back those few weeks ago.'

Any further thoughts on the matter though were pushed aside as Annette gently elbowed him in the side, letting him know that she could almost read his thoughts and disapproved of his thinking. He sighed and passed her the bowls so his wife could put the brownies in them before she gave them to the two teenagers, breaking that little look they shared as they looked up at Annette and murmured their thanks before Annette took her own bowl and started eating the dessert.

The four talked in between bites as they had during dinner, Annette making sure that she led Troy onto topics that would help Stephen see what his daughter already saw in Troy. 'If I can help by at least getting Stephen to not be dead set against Gabriella's boyfriend, that's a start,' thought Annette as she saw Troy and Stephen start to talk about basketball while Gabriella looked on with an excited look on her face. 'Even Gabriella knows how important tonight is for her and Troy in the eyes of her father.'

When everyone was done, before Annette or Stephen could get up to clear the table, Troy stood up and started to collect the plates, bowls, and glasses. Before Annette could actually protest, Troy shook his head. "I know I'm the guest but it would be my honor if you would allow me to clear the table and wash the dishes. It's the least I could do for such a wonderful tasting meal," said Troy, earning a big smile from Annette while Stephen gave him a nod of approval.

'Ooohhh, brownie points for Troy right there,' thought Gabriella with a grin before she got up herself and followed Troy into the kitchen with her own stack of things to wash.

Troy and Gabriella worked together in washing the pots and pans after they loaded the dishwasher with the dirty plates, bowls, glasses, and utensils from dinner. When Troy handed Gabriella the last pot to dry, he turned his attention to feeling around the sink for the plug to drain the water. After finally pulling it and hearing the loud gurgle of water go down the drain, Troy gave in to the urge and took some of the bubbles and put it right on Gabriella's nose after she had set the pot down on the dish rack.

Gabriella squealed in protest but managed to get a dollop of bubbles from the almost drained sink, which she immediately dumped on top of Troy's head. "Oh, you are so going to get it Brie!"

She giggled before he made an attempt to lunge at her but missed as Gabriella ran out of the kitchen. Troy took off right after her, making sure to turn off the kitchen light on his way, and chased her into the living room where he softly tackled her onto the floor, mercilessly tickling her until she was laughing really hard. He grinned down at her as Gabriella continued to laugh and squirm a little as Troy slowly eased off the tickling and leaned his head closer to hers, first wiping away the remainder of the soap bubbles from her nose. Troy watched as her laughter turned into soft giggles while she gazed back up at him with her brown eyes. Before he even knew it, he finally confessed to her his true feelings, something he had been wanting to say for a while now. "I love you Brie," murmured Troy, instantly panicking as he saw the smile falter on Gabriella's face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

Before Troy could pull back from her like he wanted to, Gabriella reached up a hand and softly took his chin into her grasp and made him look back at her. "Don't be," whispered Gabriella. "I love you too Troy."

Both felt their hearts flutter at this exchange, words that neither of them ever thought they would find the guts to actually say to each other yet were there for anyone to hear and see by just looking at them. Troy leaned down and angled his head so that he was softly kissing Gabriella's lips, avoiding the tender part where she still had a cut from earlier in the week, deepening it for only a moment before he pulled away, knowing somewhere in the back of his mind that her parents could walk in at any moment. After getting up himself, Troy extended a hand down to help Gabriella up before they moved over to the couch where they both laid down in such a manner that they were cuddled together with their arms wrapped around each other and were still able to look each other in the eyes.

"I know we've talked about love between us before but those three words, they mean just so much being said like that huh?" stated Troy, running his fingers through some of Gabriella's dark brown locks.

"They do mean a lot but they mean that much more coming from you Troy. I really do feel so lucky to have you in my life, especially now," answered Gabriella. "Troy, you mean so much to me already, I'm actually kind of scared what will happen to these feelings a month from now or a year from now or even more. These feelings are so powerful that I can't imagine feeling anything more yet I know that I will."

"As I will for you. Nothing is ever going to change that Brie, nothing," promised Troy as he leaned his head towards hers for another kiss, this time letting himself linger for a few moments longer, memorizing the feel of her body against his, his lips on hers, and the genuine loving emotions the two shared at that very moment for each other.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

During the second weekend of May, there has always been a large party thrown by Chad's big brother's fraternity that he had been a member of for almost two years at University of Albuquerque in celebration of finals being over. Chad had informed Troy that he and Chad's big brother, Chucky, expected Troy, Gabriella, and whoever else they wanted to bring to be there, no excuses. For that reason alone, Troy, Gabriella, Tessa, and Paul now stood outside Gabriella's parked car, cautiously eyeing the huge crowd of college students who were already partying out on the lawn of the frat house a few blocks away. Even from where they stood, all four could hear the partying going on and had mixed feelings about going on in but they weren't given a choice as Chad spotted the four teenagers from where he was talking to a sorority girl on the grass.

"Well, it's too late to turn back now," murmured Gabriella, smiling a little only because Troy gave her hand an encouraging squeeze before dropping it. Although they were going to a party together, both of them didn't want to attract any attention to their real status but yet felt safe enough going to this party since they didn't know any of the people attending besides their own friends and Chad's older brother. In some ways, this was the ideal setting for them to go and mingle.

As they neared the frat house, Troy recognized Jason and Zeke in the mix but didn't see anyone else from East while Gabriella and Tessa were both relieved that there were no signs of West students lurking about. Tessa and Gabriella greeted Chad with hugs while Troy and Chad exchanged their special handshake and Paul just waved.

"Go on inside, there's plenty of drinks and food inside to be had," instructed Chad before he waved them off and turned his attention back to the girl he was talking to.

"Oooh, if Taylor could see her lunkhead basketball man now," murmured Tessa to Gabriella as the two watched Chad hit on the older girl. "I wonder what she would think."

"You know she'd kill you if she ever heard you refer to Chad that way, right?" returned Gabriella with a giggle. "However, I do think Taylor would find that very interesting, seeing Chad be all smooth operator."

The two girls laughed as they followed Paul and Troy into the fraternity house, making sure not to lose either guy in the crush of people dancing around and socializing. They reached the table with the drinks already prepared and saw offers of alcohol everywhere. Paul shot Gabriella a look, who returned it with an innocent smile before reaching for a sealed bottle of water and holding it up so Paul could see that was her intended choice of beverage. Tessa grabbed a red cup full of soda and some type of alcohol from the smell of it while Troy grabbed a sealed can of soda for himself and passed another to Paul.

"What? I'm the only one of the four of us who is going to let loose tonight?" demanded Tessa. "Come on Troy, you at least have to have something with me. I know about the wet blanket here and her desire not to touch alcohol. You're too much of a gentleman to let a lady drink by herself, right?"

Troy rolled his eyes at Gabriella's best friend before shooting a look over at Gabriella herself. "Go ahead Troy, I don't mind. I just don't like the taste myself," said Gabriella.

"You heard the young women Bolton. You better drink it up tonight," commanded a deep voice from nearby. "None of this whiney little boy crap that you are too mature, too responsible, and yet underage. Tonight is the night you forget about all your problems of teenage years, all right?"

Troy whipped around and grinned at the tall, dark skinned guy with wild hair just like his younger brother. "Chucky! Man, it's great to see you," greeted Troy as he did the same special handshake with Chucky as he did with Chad. "Shouldn't my wiser and big 'brother' not be encouraging me to get drunk and stupid while I'm technically his responsibility at this party?"

"Who says you are mine? I just invited you dork," responded Chucky with a grin. "So who do we have here? I don't recall ever seeing these beauties at East, while I went there or when I've swung by to see the boys and Coach."

Tessa boldly smiled more at this new guy while Gabriella blushed at his title for them. Troy grinned as he spied this and chuckled a little. "Chucky, I want you to meet my gir… err… friend Gabriella and her friends Tessa and Paul. They actually go to West."

Chucky quirked an eyebrow at this. "Friends with West Knights now are we? Wow, times have changed, I remember how much everyone at East used to hate those at West and vice versa. Even here at college there are still East and West people who can't be in the room together without sneering."

"Unfortunately, that's still the way it is," replied Gabriella. "It is nice to meet you Chucky, thanks for inviting us."

"Sure, and it's good to meet more of Troy's friends. It sounds like you may have a bit more of an elevated status than 'friend' to him but I respect the keeping quiet thing. Hey, if you two are into each other, that's all that matters, that's my take on it," stated Chucky. "And before you say anything Bolton, I know, I used to be the first to throw it down with West but people grow up and for those that don't, I do feel sorry for them."

Troy grinned. "I knew there was a reason why I loved having you around Chucky! I feel the same way as you, except I'm trying to change things now while I'm still there. Well, if you call trying my lack of participation in the rivalry changing things. Chad, J, and Zeke seem to have tamed down too."

"Of course they would if you are. Don't you see Troy? You are the leader of the team, most likely of the school. If you make things okay in your books, people will follow. That's just the way it all works in high school with the popular guy leading the way," explained Chucky. "Now, enough of this talk! Pick up a jello shot and join me lil bro!"

Chad, Zeke, and J appeared out of nowhere to be by their sides at that exact moment so Troy picked one of the small white paper cups with his four friends. They toasted to friendship and downed it, Tessa, picking one up and following suit while Gabriella and Paul stood back, watching the festivities. After another two rounds, Troy put a stop to his partaking of the shots and moved to join Gabriella by her side as Tessa and the boys did another three.

"Something tells me it was smart of me to be the driver tonight," teased Gabriella, laughter in her eyes as Tessa and the three guys made their way to where Troy, Paul, and Gabriella were leaning against a couch.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you," responded Tessa, looking a bit wobbly. Zeke stuck his arm out and securely wrapped it around her waist, helping stabilize the brunette. She gave him a grateful look before turning back to Gabriella. "You sure you don't want any?"

"Nope, DD here," replied Gabriella.

"But I thought your name was Gabriella," threw in Jason, earning a look from Chad, Zeke, and Troy.

"Not this again," said Chad with a roll of the eyes. "Yes, her name is Gabriella and is also known as Brie. Remember, we talked about this the other day at lunch?"

A look like a light bulb finally turned on for Jason crossed his face. "Oh! But wait, what does DD mean?"

Before any of the other guys could reply with a smart remark, Gabriella answered. "Designated Driver. I know you three came separately but I can always do a few trips if necessary to get everyone home safe."

"Ah, that's so sweet!" returned Jason. "Dude Troy, I like her! Totally is what Alicia was supposed to be."

Chucky shot Troy a questioning look. "All right, what did I miss? Did you actually have a girlfriend before this sweet thing?"

"Sort of," mumbled Troy, glaring at Jason. "Lasted little more than a month or so. She was totally not who she pretended to be when we were dating before the relationship."

"Dude, isn't that her?" interrupted Zeke, pointing towards a short girl who had black hair a few feet away.

The entire group swung their heads around to look at the girl in question who was dancing with a tall guy who had spiky black hair. Chucky shook his head. "No man, that's my big brother in the fraternity with his girlfriend. Names are Tom and Sammy."

Tessa took in the appearance of both the guy and girl and thought it was odd how very familiar they seemed. 'Oh God, could they be older siblings?' wondered Tessa, looking over at Gabriella, who seemed to have thought the same thing by the way she paled. 'Question is, are they close enough to invite their younger siblings to this party if they are who they seem to be?'

Gabriella longingly looked at the alcoholic beverages but pushed the idea aside as soon as she saw Paul had caught her glance. She shrugged before turning her attention back to Troy, who seemed oblivious to the idea that the couple dancing could be related to his ex and her current tormentor.

Seeing that the group of teenagers seemed to have gotten stuck at looking at Tom and Sammy, Chucky decided to suggest they play flippy cup to help loosen them up a bit. Again, Troy started playing with Chucky, Chad, Zeke, Jason, and Tessa but bowed out after two rounds to watch. Chucky's goal had been met in the form of Troy loosening up just enough to not really care they were in plain view of anyone as he wrapped his right arm around Gabriella's waist.

"Troy, people can see," whispered Gabriella into his ear, loud enough so he could understand her over the music. "What about being careful?"

"We are. Look around, there's no one who we know from school besides our friends who are discreet and trustworthy. Come on Brie, don't you want to just be us and throw caution to the wind?" replied Troy, giving her a roguish smile.

Gabriella's resolve crumbled at that smile, allowing herself to snuggle up to Troy's side as he tightened his embrace around her, instantly forgetting the foreboding feeling she felt when she spotted Tom and Sammy as possible older siblings. She didn't even notice the look on Paul's face as he saw this as he shook his head at the couple's abandonment as Paul saw Troy place a kiss on top of Gabriella's head. After the gang got tired of playing flippy cup, everyone moved into the room where the speakers were blaring the most, filling the room with the loud beats of the music. Tessa immediately took to the floor, dragging Zeke behind her, who didn't look to be complaining while Chad and Jason went after some college aged girls. Paul was the only one to stand against the wall and watch over everyone, especially Gabriella, as Troy actually led her into a dance after stealing a long kiss from her lips.

The party continued on as the hours flew by, Saturday night turning into really early Sunday morning. It was at this time, around 1 AM in the morning, that Gabriella's foreboding feelings were realized as an actual foretelling of what was to come at the party.

Paul was the first to recognize West High's basketball captain talking to who Paul recognized as fellow basketball teammates with a petite brown haired girl next to him who Paul had never seen before. Without another thought, Paul made his way over to where Gabriella and Troy were currently dancing and tried to pull Gabriella away from Troy's arms. "Gabriella, please, use your common sense now," pleaded Paul, who was tracking Riley's movements. He groaned as soon as he saw that Riley had managed to spot Gabriella, who was currently still in Troy's arms, thanks to the help of that dark haired girl.

"What do you need Paul?" asked Gabriella, having not heard him clearly just a second ago, now confused as to why Paul would interrupt her fun with Troy. It was only when she saw the serious look on Paul's face did Gabriella understand that there must be danger afoot, danger that was in the form of Riley Sutton, who now stood in front of the three of them, a murderous look on his face with a girl she recognized as Alicia slightly behind him with a smirk on her little face. Gabriella felt Troy's embrace on her tighten for a moment before he quickly unwrapped his arms from around her and pushed her behind him.

Riley shook his head at this. "It's too late, I know you two are together and have been trying to fool the world with your little 'we're not even friends' act," mocked Riley, ending in a higher tone he meant to sound like Gabriella. "You didn't think I was stupid enough to believe that shit forever did you? There are no second chances out of this Gabriella, you've dug your grave. Now you get to see me pummel your boyfriend for your poor choice."

Before Troy could say or do anything, Gabriella shot around him and placed herself firmly between the two guys. "Maybe I do have something with Troy but that doesn't change the fact that you and I don't have anything to go on Riley. I don't understand why you are so obsessed with this stupid rivalry! I mean, you are clearly here with Alicia who goes to East!" pointed out Gabriella.

"Alicia is different, she's the one that helped me figure out the truth of your little charade and is the little sister of my brother's girlfriend who went to West like my brother did. It's not Alicia's fault that her family moved into East's zoning when it was her time to go to high school. Her heart has always been a West's heart, more so than yours sadly," replied Riley with a shake of the head. "You know Gabriella, we really could have had something special, at least a fantastic one night but you had to be stupid and ruin it all by chasing Golden Dork. Maybe after tonight you will have learned your lesson."

Troy quickly grabbed Gabriella's shoulders and pushed her in the direction of Paul, who caught her in his arms, holding her back from her obvious desire of pouncing on Riley. "You want a fight Sutton? You have better fight me and not someone half your size," spat out Troy, glaring at the other teenager and completely ignoring Alicia's presence, a fact that immediately erased her smirk from her face.

"Oh, don't worry Bolton, you were always first on my list to take down first," agreed Riley. "Maybe after you are out of my way, Gabriella will welcome me with open arms."

"In your dreams," yelled Gabriella before getting pulled back from lunging at Riley again by Paul. This distracted Troy however, who turned his head to look at her and consequently missed seeing Riley throw the first punch right to Troy's chin.

Troy turned his head back to look at Riley and managed to sneer at his opponent, despite the burst of pain from the punch. "You want to try that again when I'm actually looking at you coward?" taunted Troy, finally letting the anger that he had contained for so long to bubble to the surface. 'I know I promised Brie not to go after Riley but after all he has done to her and now trying to start with me, I can't back down now.'

Riley let out a loud laugh. "Me, the coward? Wow, that's a change. I'm not the one who was trying to hide something as big as a relationship or a fling or whatever it is between you and Gabriella. No, that title best fits you who can't even protect your girl from another guy without her walking away with a bruise of some kind. I'd say that made you less than a man, at least in my books, right boys?"

There was agreement from his buddies behind Riley while Troy felt his fists clench even harder at these words, trying to keep a leash on his anger to have some type of control over the situation. That fragile control though shattered as Riley lunged at Troy and brought both of them down to the floor in one swift movement where they started fighting, neither having a clear hold or advantage over the other, despite Troy's slightly intoxicated state.

"TROY!" screamed Gabriella, being held back by Paul again, his arms securely around her arms and her waist, holding her in place. "RILEY, STOP!"

The two boys finally started to draw attention from some of the college students who weren't completely wasted as Riley picked himself up and then Troy before slamming Troy into a wall. Troy followed, pushing Riley back into a speaker and landing a solid blow to Riley's nose and right eye. Blow for blow was exchanged until some of the fraternity's designated sober brothers stepped in and interfered, dragging both a resisting Riley and a seething but cooperative Troy away from each other.

"Break it up you two," commanded Tom, one of the fraternity brothers, surprised when he saw one of the guys involved in the fight was his real younger brother. "Riley? What the hell happened here?"

"This is the jerk I've told you about, East High's Gold Dork, no I think Golden Wuss is more appropriate now," sneered Riley. "He started it, ask my boys."

Tom shook his head. "No, I know your boys will have your back no matter what, just like I want to right now. Look, we don't want any trouble here or we'll get our fraternity kicked off campus. Can you both just keep it under wraps or do we have to take our own measures?"

Troy spotted Chucky and Chad making their way towards him and knew that the fight was over for good then. He held his arms and hands up in surrender, signaling the release of his body from the two fraternity brothers who held him. One of them clasped Troy's shoulder and squeezed before giving him a nod. Troy had just turned his attention back to Gabriella, who rushed into his arms as soon as he was freed when both of them went crashing to the ground, Riley trying to punch Troy with Gabriella unfortunately caught in the middle. She winced in pain as one of Riley's blows struck her cheek and corner of her lips but was greatly relieved when Riley's weight was pulled off her and Troy by Riley's apparent brother and Chucky.

"Man, you need to control your real younger brother," commented Chucky with a shake of his head as another fraternity brother took hold of a still struggling Riley. Chucky went over to the two on the ground and helped Gabriella up first and then Troy, who instantly reached out to gingerly touch Gabriella's cheek and busted corner of her lips.

"Are you all right Brie?" he asked, real genuine concern evident in his blue eyes as he searched her a few times over to see if she had any other injuries.

She gave him a lopsided grin. "I've been better but I'm worried about you. You got it way worse than me," responded Gabriella. "God, how many times are you going to get bruises and lose blood because of me?"

"However long it takes," replied Troy. "I'd rather it be me than you anytime."

"I'll make sure to remember that for the future! This isn't the end of it Bolton!" yelled Riley while he was being dragged out of the room and out of the frat house, his buddies following behind. Alicia just stood there, shaking her head in disgust at the couple, before her own older sibling, Sammy, came by and grabbed her arm to march her right out of the party while it looked like Sammy was giving Alicia a piece of her own mind.

Relieved that it seemed like danger was finally gone, Gabriella and Troy turned their attention back on each other while they, along with Paul, took inventory of their injuries. Troy had a nasty cut slightly above his right eyebrow, cutting through the tail end of the brow, a couple of additional developing bruises on his face, a split lip that rivaled Gabriella's, several cuts on his hands and knuckles and what felt like a few speckled bruises on his abdomen. Gabriella fared better than Troy but still had too many injuries than Paul and Troy both would have liked.

"I'm so going to get it for this, I so am going to get it," mumbled Paul to himself but just loud enough for Gabriella to hear him.

"No you aren't relax. You did your thing of trying to protect me but just as I've told Troy, you can't protect me from everything," said Gabriella, patting Paul's shoulder. "I won't let you get in trouble, all right?"

Paul gave her a grateful smile before Gabriella turned her attention back on Troy. Seeing the blood trickling down his face reminded Gabriella that they both needed cleaning up so she took Troy's hand in hers and dragged him to the bathroom upstairs one of the sober brothers directed her to. Once there, she winced briefly when she spied her own image in the mirror above the sink but refocused immediately on cleaning up Troy's face. While Troy winced as he washed his hands, Gabriella took a paper towel and dabbed at the cut after washing away the blood that had trickled down from the cut above his eyebrow. Once satisfied that it was pretty clean, Gabriella softly wiped at the injury at the corner of his mouth, smiling and wincing herself as she saw his attempted smile form on his lips.

"Hey now, no derailing the nurse's attentions here," complained Gabriella, looking briefly up into his eyes before refocusing on washing away the dried blood.

Troy decided to give Gabriella the same care and wet a towel to dab at Gabriella's cut at her lip at the same time, causing her brown eyes to meet his again before refocusing. When both were finally cleaned up as best as they could, they threw out the paper towels and walked out of the bathroom with their hands tightly intertwined with each other's, neither caring now who saw them as their secret was out for the world to see after what just went on.

Chucky smirked at them as he waited a few feet away, a square bandage, medical tape, and some ointment being waved their way. "Figured you would need this for that cut. It's not going to stop bleeding unless you put something like this to help put pressure," explained Chucky, who indicated for the two to walk back to the bathroom, this time with Chucky behind them.

Troy continued to hold Gabriella's hand as Chucky cleaned the cut again, this time putting the ointment on with a q-tip and then slapping the bandage over the injury, causing Troy to jump in pain. "OWWW!"

"Oh stop being a baby, your girlfriend is here," replied Chucky with another grin. "You are just lucky that I was here to help bail you out and that Tom is actually a nice guy and actually gave his brother an ear lashing for the fight, I heard it. I didn't realize that his little brother is the same guy that Chad has spat nasty things about in the past though. What a small world."

Gabriella's and Troy's eyes connected at this and both of them found it within themselves to grin. "You don't have to tell us that," murmured Troy, not taking his eyes off his girlfriend for a fraction of a second. "We already found that out months ago."

Chucky watched as the chemistry between the two ignited to the point of almost being tangible as they continued to stare into each other's eyes. He shook his head and left them staring at each other before they leaned in and finally kissed, careful to avoid their injuries, thinking about how his younger brother Chad may just be right about something. 'Troy really is enamored by this girl and they are both so sickly sweet together. Although, from my perspective, I'm just glad Troy finally found a young woman worthy of him who seems to share his feelings one-hundred percent. They'll need that to hold onto tight if they are to survive anything else this punk Riley is set to do to them together as a couple.'


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The following morning, well late morning as it was a Sunday, Gabriella picked up Tessa and Taylor with Paul in the car before they headed over to Chad's house where they had agreed several hours ago in the early morning to meet after everyone had a chance to sleep. Troy had spent the night at Chad's and was waiting for the other four when they finally arrived.

"Hey everyone, morning Brie," greeted Troy as he gave them a smile, wincing at the pain as he stretched the injury at the side of his lip a little in the process.

Gabriella gave him a comforting smile before she kissed him lightly on the lips, avoiding both of their injuries, before taking his hand and following him inside the Danforth house. Jason had been picked up by his parents earlier that morning but Zeke and Chad were in the kitchen making a small brunch, well Zeke was cooking with Chad sitting on the counter watching. They waved hello to everyone, Chad showing some surprise when Taylor walked through the kitchen's entryway.

"Hope you don't mind but Tay is one of our best friends and she was way concerned after her older sister told her about what went down this morning," explained Gabriella. "Guess college gossip mills aren't any slower than high school ones."

Chad nodded his head and put a smile on his face. "It's cool, welcome everyone," responded Chad. "Zeke here is almost done. Why doesn't everyone grab a plate and we can talk about everything over food? I know those of us with a hangover think that's a great idea."

Tessa murmured her agreement louder than everyone else, earning her a sympathetic look from Gabriella and Taylor, who patted her back and helped her sit down, somewhat amused by their best friend's refusal of taking her sun glasses off inside the house.

After everyone had some food, they sat down at the Danforth's large dining table and ate the food in silence until Taylor broke the silence. "Great food Zeke! Anyone tell you that you are an amazing cook?"

Zeke shyly smiled back at Taylor. "No, I just put stuff together at times like this when food is a real necessity to survival. Thank you though Taylor, that means a lot."

"Speaking of survival, how'd your parents react when they saw you Gaby?" asked Tessa, speaking for the first time in a while.

Gabriella guiltily looked away from her friends, choosing instead to look at the ceiling while she said, "They didn't. I snuck up the tree in our backyard and into my bedroom from the balcony last night after I dropped everyone off, including sneaking you Tessa into your house with Paul's help after you passed out in the backseat. This morning, I threw on this baseball cap that I knew would cast my face in shadows and said bye to my mom really fast before leaving to pick everyone up."

Paul shot her a questioning look, which Gabriella ignored. "So what are you going to do after this little gathering? You can't hide those injuries forever. Maybe it's best that your parents know," stated Zeke.

"You would think that but you don't know everything. If they find out about this, there will be consequences and I don't want anything to happen to jeopardize what I have now," replied Gabriella, looking at her friends first and lastly at Troy, who steadily held her gaze.

"I'm sure your parents would understand. It's not like the fight yesterday was your doing. Chucky will vouch for that since he was the only nonbiased party there that is sober enough to remember the real events. Unfortunately, Troy and I can't say anything because it would always be brought up that we were a bit under the influence by that time. Of course, you and Paul were completely sober but I don't know if they would put much stock into what you yourself say unless your parents really trust you a lot," said Chad.

"Well they usually do except for when it comes to this," returned Gabriella.

"Umm, I hate to ask this but where was I during this whole fight?" asked Tessa, frustrated that she couldn't remember much after flippy cup except for patches of things.

Troy, Chad, and Gabriella exchanged a look before Chad laughed. "You seriously don't remember? You and Zeke were, umm, hooking up," explained Chad, causing both Zeke and Tessa to look at each other before quickly looking away, both blushing. "Like kissing and stuff, nothing farther than that. I promise we stopped you two before you found the stairs."

"Great," mumbled Tessa, looking at her plate. "Now you all think I'm a slut."

"No!" jumped in Zeke. "Not at all Tessa, you were drunk and so was I. It happens."

Gabriella nodded her head in agreement. "No one here thinks that Tessa. And not to be 'it's all about me' but I don't think that the people there who saw you and were sober enough to remember will talk about you two when they have the brawl between East and West high at a college frat party."

After some thinking, Tessa smiled a little. "That does make me feel better, you are absolutely right!"

"So, what's the game plan with how to handle Riley and Alicia both before they strike again?" asked Paul, interested in what the group had to say on this.

There was a cough at the entryway and everyone looked up to see Chucky standing there in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. "Morning everyone," greeted the older guy before he grabbed a plate, piled on food, and sat down at the table. "I dragged myself over here so you guys could hear the latest so yes, I am eating your food."

Chad expectantly looked at his older brother. "Well?"

"Oh, sorry," mumbled Chucky after swallowing the bite of the waffle he had just put in his mouth. "So the deal is that Riley was supposed to still be in Colorado through today but he got word of this huge party from, no one other than herself, Troy's ex. Sammy was complaining this morning that the party got ruined because her sister must have big ears and a big mouth. From what I can put together, Alice or whatever her name is must have listened in on Sammy's conversation in which Sammy was telling her best friend about the party while Sammy was at home. What Tom and Sammy could deduce is that Sammy's sister called up Riley and told him about the party as she wanted to see him, a crush maybe, but ended up getting more than just seeing him when he finally arrived at the party. Sammy swore she saw her sister earlier on the night but shrugged it off as she didn't see her for a time after that. I'm guessing here but I think Sammy's sister saw the group of you guys together and called up Riley to make sure he was coming, giving him the bait about Troy and Gabriella being together to lure him there. Is she the vengeful type?"

Troy nodded his head. "I think she is. In fact, I'm a bit surprised she didn't strike until last night. I mean she tried to embarrass me to get me to go back to her but that was it for a while."

"Then she could have been waiting for just the right opportunity. If she knows Riley at least well enough to have his number, she must have known about his interest in Gabriella here and of course everyone knows that you, Troy, and Riley have been at it since you were young guppies at the high schools, fueled by the rivalry. What she did was put an accelerator on a fire that has already been burning," concluded Chucky. "So there you have it, the biggest yet roughest sketch you are going to get as to how it all came together last night. Of course, Tom has no clue I overheard all this since I feigned sleep on the couch when he and Sammy were eating breakfast. I guess they didn't get the partying done they wanted after Riley plus crew crashed."

"Thanks Chucky for coming over and telling us. This helps fill in some of those holes I at least had in trying to figure out how everything happened last night," said Gabriella, giving the older guy a grateful smile. "You know, you're pretty cool. Are you sure you're Chad's big brother?"

"Hey!" protested Chad. "I'm cool too!"

Chucky ruffled Chad's hair. "I think the terminology is special little bro, as in special ed!"

The gang laughed at Chad's expense, grateful for the lightening of the mood. Once all the food on all the plates was gone, including the few pieces of bacon Troy snagged off of Gabriella's plate, the discussion turned back towards what they could do, now that they knew the threat was back, especially because the truth was out about Troy and Gabriella.

"I don't care who knows and what danger it brings, I'm not breaking up with you Brie so don't even think about it," stated Troy, seriously looking at his girlfriend. "I know you well enough by now to know that you are thinking of protecting me in doing that but I'm telling you that I wouldn't be protected, I'd be heartbroken."

Gabriella gave him a surprised look at this. 'Wow, he can't read my mind now can he?' she wondered before she answered him. "If that's truly how you feel, then we won't do it."

"So you were really thinking of that," accused Troy.

Gabriella gave him a small shrug before she said, "Well yeah. Troy, even before we started this whole thing, I always expressed to you that your safety mattered way more to me than being able to call you boyfriend. Now, if nothing else, that feeling of wanting to protect you from everything is even stronger because I love you."

Troy couldn't help but smile at Gabriella. He reached out and gently ran his thumb over her bruised cheek before he leaned in and made the distance between their lips non-existent. After a short time, he pulled back from the kiss and grabbed her left hand with his right while intertwining their fingers together. "I love you too Brie."

"GAG!" shouted Chucky, Chad, and Zeke at the same time, interrupting the trance Troy and Gabriella had been in for a few moments there.

"Dude, did you forget we were even here?" asked Chad.

Troy sheepishly looked at Chad. "Sorry, that happens every once in a while, we sort of…"

"Start looking at each other and forget anyone else is in the room. Yeah, I've seen it plenty of times," expressed Tessa with a grin. "It's cute but I can see how immature basketball boys would be disgusted by some signs of affection."

The girls laughed as the three boys stuck their tongues out in response. "Exactly Tessa's point. Immature!" stated Taylor with a roll of the eyes.

"Oh be quiet McKessie. Just because we aren't brainiacs doesn't mean we aren't mature," argued Chad.

"Oh really Danforth? So how would you explain sticking your tongue out like chimps in response to what Tessa just said? Or how would you explain putting bubble bath solution in the fountain during spirit week so the fountain overflowed with red and white bubbles also a result of you adding red dye in the water before hand? My list of evidence could go on and on," responded Taylor.

Chad just looked at her, shocked she knew all that, while Chucky laid a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder. "You best concede defeat here lil bro. Looks like Taylor knows her stuff."

"Well it would make sense since she's on the scholastic decathlon team," mumbled Chad.

"Wait, you know stuff about me?" returned Taylor. "I'm shocked!"

Zeke and Troy just chuckled at this. "Guess you both have a lot to get to know about each other and what each other knows about you," commented Zeke. "Troy must have a big influence on everyone because I don't think either of you would have ever bothered to converse before and yet you two know quite a bit of each other."

Chad and Taylor both shot a look that could kill at Zeke, who immediately shut up. "Well I think it's great the social walls are breaking down that separated the groups before," added Tessa. "It's just too bad we can't do more about these rivalry walls."

"The social walls at East are far easier to break than the rivalry walls between East and West," pointed out Gabriella. "This is evidence here. I mean yes, there are those of us here who are best friends with or dating someone from the opposing school but you don't know many more groups like this. They're rare."

"Which is why I say as an outside party that you guys should fight to preserve this and your individual relationships. Not many people recognize what you have at your ages, in fact some don't even in college," answered Chucky. "Now don't quote me on this because I will not be held responsible for anything that happens in the future but remember, true friendships like what you all share today come only so often."

"See Chad? This is why I said your brother is so cool. He's got maturity and wisdom with the ability to have lots of fun," stated Gabriella with laughter twinkling in her eyes as Chad made a face at her.

"You're just lucky I like you so much Montez otherwise Troy would have dumped your behind by now," retaliated Chad.

"Oh yeah? Well Troy could end his lifelong friendship with you too if I wanted to so there," returned Gabriella.

Troy rolled his eyes. "All right kids, enough fighting over what you could have made me do in the past. You are both wrong. I'd never give up my best friendship with Chad just as I don't ever want to give up what we share Brie. There, now both of you back in your corners."

Chucky chuckled at this. "Man, you do have a way to settle a situation down Troy. Speaking of, how are the injuries? I see you have a new bandage on your forehead."

Troy gingerly touched the bandaged area that covered a part of his eyebrow and some of the area above. "Yeah, thankfully the blow I got to receive this injury wasn't hard enough to do any more damage than this, otherwise I would have had to have gone to the hospital and then my parents would have been notified and let's just say I wasn't in the best condition to explain it all earlier this morning. Everything else that's hurt still hurts but I'll get over it."

"Speaking of parents, don't you think you need to face them sometime soon with the truth Gab?" asked Taylor, seeing the worry appear on Gabriella's face during Troy's talk of his parents. "Your mom really cares for you."

"Right, but she'll fly off the handle to see me like this only a few weeks after Riley's last attack. I barely got out of that one the way that I did, I know I won't when she sees this," replied Gabriella.

"What are you talking about Gaby? What's going to happen?" pushed Tessa, realizing that this was as close as they would all get to getting Gabriella to reveal what has really been going on with her, what she has been so expertly hiding.

Gabriella looked over at Paul, who just blankly stared back at her. "I can't tell you yet, I'm sorry. Maybe we really should go and get home after all," said Gabriella, getting up and picking up her plate. "Thank you Chad for having us over and thanks Zeke for the killer brunch. I'll see you all later?"

Troy immediately stood up and placed his hand on Gabriella's shoulder with a little pressure to make Gabriella look up at him. "Hey, if you don't want to talk about it, you don't want to talk about it. You don't need to answer anything to us if you don't want to," stated Troy. "I'm sure everyone here would rather have you here with us than drive you away in our quest to know the truth."

Gabriella looked a little longer into Troy's blue eyes and sighed. "I think maybe Taylor's right, maybe it is the time to talk to my parents about everything. Trust me, I want to tell everyone what is going on but I just can't," said Gabriella, looking away from Troy to look around the room at their friends, ending by looking at Troy once again. "I'm sorry."

Paul got up out of his seat as he and Gabriella rinsed off the dishes and utensils before putting them in the dishwasher, appearing once again in the dining room. "Tessa, Tay, do you need a ride home?"

"If they want, I can drive them home," offered Zeke, finding that he actually didn't want to see Tessa leave so soon.

Taylor and Tessa exchanged a look before Tessa replied, "Thanks Zeke, I think we'll stay unless you need us Gaby."

Gabriella shook her head. "I don't think even you Tessa can help with what I'm about to do. I'll talk to you all later, okay?"

Taylor and Tessa got up to hug Gabriella good-bye before Troy followed Paul and Gabriella to the front door. Paul stepped out onto the porch to give the couple some privacy as Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella's back, pulling her into a strong embrace between his arms and his chest. "Are you sure you are going to be okay?" asked Troy, mumbling into her hair.

"I'm not sure but I know that this is something I have to do," responded Gabriella. "It's been too long in coming. Just, whatever happens, remember that I love you all right Troy? I really do."

From somewhere unknown, Troy got a scared feeling that he was going to lose Gabriella as soon as she walked out that door. He tightened his hold on her as Troy tried to shut out that feeling. "I love you too Brie. Gabriella, you really do have my whole heart completely," returned Troy before he pulled away to kiss her with all the feelings he had.

After Gabriella reluctantly pulled away, Troy placed the baseball hat he had taken off before he held her in his arms back on her head, kissing her uninjured cheek. He watched as Gabriella left the Danforth's house and walked with Paul to her car and eventually drove away.

- - -

"Of all the stupid, teenage things to do, I cannot believe you even tried to hide all of this from us!" yelled Stephen, beyond angry to see the bruise on Gabriella's cheek and small cut at the corner of his daughter's face, as well as simply knowing about the bruise on Gabriella's stomach. "What were you thinking?"

Gabriella winced at her father's tone, not knowing whether she should speak now or not. 'God, this conversation could have been a whole lot better if he hadn't come home early from his trip. Mom would have at least listened to me,' thought Gabriella, rethinking that idea though as she saw the upset look on her mother's face.

Annette looked back at her daughter, not angry but very upset by what Gabriella has endured without telling them. "Gabriella, what we are trying to say is that if someone is hurting you, regardless of the pain, emotional, psychological, or physical, we want to know. We can't help or protect you if you don't tell us," said Annette, who then shot a pleading look at Stephen to calm down. "I think what your father and I are trying to express here is that we are concerned, that's all."

"No, that's not all!" returned Stephen, still using a loud voice that reverberated through the house. "I want you to stop seeing this boy of yours too! He is obviously no good for you if he can't protect you from this idiot at school and he is well beneath you and you know it!"

Tears gathered in Gabriella's eyes at these words. "No Daddy, it's not Troy's fault and I love him! Why does everyone insist that I need to be protected? You two, Tessa, Troy, Paul, everyone seems to think I need protecting and that I'm some little infant who can't protect herself. Well how am I ever going to learn if you keep treating me this way?"

"Those bruises sure don't look like you've learned anything at all," returned Stephen, his face still red with his anger. "I've been too lenient with you so far Gabriella and I think that I have no one else to blame for that but myself. You have lived your life the way you wanted to but now it is time to live it my way, the way it should have been lived a while ago. You are to never return to West High, you'll get a tutor, and you are to never see Troy again, do you hear me?"

"You can't do that!" responded Gabriella, getting up on her feet, angrily wiping away at her tears. "That's not fair!"

Stephen shook his head and started pointing a finger at Gabriella. "No, what's not fair is what you are doing to me and your mother, worrying about you being gone until early in the morning and then disappearing only to show up with these injuries! If I had known any of this was going on as long as it has, I would have pulled you from that school ages ago and we would have…"

"Would have moved, right? This is exactly why I have been hiding everything! I don't want to move, I don't want to leave my friends here, I don't want to leave Troy!" expressed Gabriella, her own voice getting louder as the argument continued. "You don't think I know those words would have come out of your mouth Dad? I knew, that's why I haven't said anything. Why can't you just let me grow up and be my own person, a normal teenage girl?"

"Because you aren't a normal teenage girl Gabriella Felicia Anna Lauren Montez! And you Paul, how could you let all this happen?" demanded Stephen, addressing the fourth person in the room for the first time in half an hour since they had arrived home.

"I'm sorry sir," responded Paul, looking down at the ground. "I tried to protect Gabriella where I could but she made it clear to me she would rather try to fight her own battles. After the first time I saw it happen, I tried my best to protect her from Riley Sutton but I obviously wasn't good enough."

Before Stephen could lay into Paul, Gabriella screamed, "Enough! Dad, this is exactly what I'm talking about! You don't ever listen to me! I asked Paul to stand down the first time he saw things, I called him off because Riley is the type of guy who relishes in the more trouble he can create. I was trying to handle him on my own so it wouldn't get so out of hand. Why can't you just leave me alone to live my life the way I deem it to be lived?"

Stephen stared at his daughter for a few moments while he tried to calm himself down, knowing the yelling match would get the family nowhere. In a much calmer voice he said, "Listen Gabriella, I'm only saying what I am to try to protect you from the likes of this Riley boy at your school. If the circumstances were different, I'd have no problem with you living life the way you see fit but you know what is going on, you know what your future holds yet you insist on living so very reckless and endangering yourself bodily as well as your secret that you wanted to keep."

"That I wanted to keep? You and Mom practically mandated that I keep it!" argued Gabriella. "Sure my friends may be shocked but they wouldn't shun me for it, at least I hope not."

"Yet you can't tell them because if they know, someone else will know and everything will be lost," countered Stephen as he quickly approached Gabriella. "Listen, I'm only trying to pro…to keep you safe. There is a lot at stake here, there's a lot to be lost, and the biggest loss to me would be losing you Gabriella, don't you see? You are my only child, my dearest daughter. I'd be lost if your mother and I lost you in some stupid petty high school rivalry or what have you. I know I don't show it as well as your mother but I love you daughter, I really do."

Seeing the love in her father's eyes was the undoing of Gabriella as she felt herself wrapped in her father's arms. Annette also came over and joined the little family hug while Paul made a quiet exit from the room and house, leaving the family to this special moment.

After some tears and a little longer in each other's embrace, the family pulled away and looked at each other, realizing for the first time that Paul had left. "He's always very discreet like that," commented Gabriella, wiping away a tear as Annette did the same. "So what am I supposed to do now?"

"The summer is coming up and that's the time we promised we would return," stated Annette, looking at Gabriella as they both took a seat on the couch together. "I know you don't want to hear this but I agree with your father about taking you out of West High. We can get you a fine tutor so you won't fall behind."

"But doesn't that let them win? All those idiots who have been terrorizing me, especially Riley? Out of all the reputations I've developed over the years, I do not want to leave West being known as the coward slut," stated Gabriella, a serious look residing on her face.

"Coward slut?" asked Stephen, shocked the second word came out of daughter's mouth. "Do we have something else to talk about Gabriella?"

Gabriella shook her head hard. "No, they just branded me that because I was the subject of the Troy and Riley fight a few times. It's just typical high school Daddy except that this time I'm not a title like Brainiac or Popular Girl."

Stephen and Annette both looked at each other relieved. "Well, I can certainly see where you are coming from but it's clear you'll be in constant danger if we continue to let you go to West. I don't know if it would be much better if we let you transfer to another school either, a school like East," said Annette. "Besides with it being only a few weeks more before the end of school, it wouldn't make sense to have you transfer now. I think the best choice then is to have a tutor from now on and we can consider options in the fall."

"So that means we're coming back then in the fall?" questioned Gabriella, excitement in her voice for the first time. "This visit isn't permanent?"

Annette shook her head. "It never was intended to be permanent unless something drastic changes. Remember, my promise to you that I made the first day you went to West? No more moving? I can't help the visits and everything that has happened since then but I'm trying to at least keep that one promise."

Gabriella launched herself into her mother's arms, just so completely happy to hear those words. "Thank you!" exclaimed Gabriella, giving her mom a big hug before pulling back. "Now, can we please negotiate about me seeing Troy?"

Stephen stared at his daughter's smiling face and knew he was going to end up giving in, even against his better judgment. "You really care for this boy that much that you would negotiate to keep the ability to see him? How are you doing though with keeping such a secret as who you are from him?"

"It's hard," replied Gabriella without missing a beat. "I won't lie about that but he does mean that much to me Dad that I would happily give something up for him."

"If that isn't true love at such an age, I don't know what is," murmured Annette as she looked at her husband. "I've seen them together more than you have and Troy Bolton is as good of a guy as Gabriella makes him out to be and I think he cares and loves her just as much as she does."

"But she's my baby girl," argued Stephen, giving his wife his full attention.

Annette laughed a little at this. "It's not like they are going to run off and get married, trust me," responded Annette. "Besides, if we don't let her have this, she'll just sneak around like her father did to see me. It's in her blood."

"Not funny," got out Stephen before he sighed. "Fine, Troy can stay in the picture if only to prevent secrets between this family. That's my negotiation with you Gabriella. You can continue seeing Troy if you want to but I don't want anything to go too far physically, all right? I'll agree to this if you keep that promise and agree no more secrets. You get hurt, you get great news, your mother and I want to know it all. Deal?"

Gabriella looked at her father with excitement. "Seriously? I am so up for that deal! And Dad, just to let you know, I made a promise to myself when I was thirteen that I wouldn't lose my virginity until I was married so you have no worries there. Thank you!" exclaimed Gabriella, hugging her mother and father both before she pulled out her cell phone, about to text Troy.

"Hold on, we still have some family discussion here. About your schooling," informed Stephen, gently taking the cell phone from his daughter's hands. "I really do not feel comfortable at all with you going back to West, are we clear?"

Gabriella bit her lip. "But what about trying to fight it out and being stronger for it?"

"There are some fights in life that aren't worth fighting Gabriella and this one is one of them. I know your pride may be hurt by the inability to show that you are strong enough to keep going back to that school with everything that has happened but with you being in constant danger from this boy, I'm not willing to risk it. It's clear to me you are not safe there. No more setting foot on the school grounds," stated Stephen, looking Gabriella directly in the eyes. "That's the other part of our deal Gabriella. I want your word to on this."

"But what about my stuff?" argued Gabriella. "I need to go back and get stuff from my locker. I can go in the middle of the day when there are classes or something. Please, I have important pictures and stuff there that I really want."

"Can't we just ask your best friend Tessa to get them or something?" countered Stephen.

"I guess but I would like to say good-bye to the place. I wouldn't feel like there was closure otherwise," said Gabriella. "Please Dad? I'll make sure Paul is with me if it makes you feel any better."

Stephen studied his pleading daughter's face for a few moments and looked over at Annette who nodded her approval of the idea. "Fine but Paul must be with you and you are to go when you know everyone will be in class. I'll be in communications with that principal over there to let him know we are taking you out and to give him a piece of my mind for not having stopped all of this sooner or even involving the police."

Gabriella guiltily looked back at her father. "Actually, that's my fault, why the cops haven't been brought in. When it got bad, when I came home with the injuries, I asked that there be no charges brought up against Riley."

"What, why?" demanded Annette, shocked at this piece of news.

"Because I figured if that happened, I would get it worse at school plus there was a chance of media news and I just didn't want that attention, I didn't think you would either," replied Gabriella. "I really was thinking of what's best for this family, honest."

Stephen nodded his approval. "I can't argue with that logic. All right, so it's settled then. No more secrets, you can still see Troy and your friends, we'll come back after the summer, and you are being pulled out of West High. Did I miss anything?"

Annette shook her head. "I think that is more than enough for right now."

Seeing Gabriella look at her cell phone that Stephen still held in his hands, he handed it back to his daughter, who instantly took off up the stairs towards her room to call whoever she was going to call. Stephen wrapped his arms around Annette and looked down into her dark brown eyes. "Did we just do the right thing?"

"We did the best thing we could have done in the situation," replied Annette. "I'm proud of you for not ruling with an iron fist like you did during those three weeks. Gabriella responds much better to you when you do what you just did, talking to her like an adult and giving her some leeway."

"I just hope none of this turns out to be a mistake," confessed Stephen, leaning his forehead against his wife's and just relaxing his mind after everything that was said and done.


	16. Chapter 16

**Warning: The following chapter contains strong violence and an implied but not vivid rape scene. The rating of this story has been changed to M for this reason.**

Chapter 16

"Hey Troy," purred an all too familiar high-pitched voice towards the end of lunch on Monday into Troy's ear as he just closed his locker.

Troy glanced at Alicia and knew something was up with that self-satisfied smirk on her face. "What's up Alicia?"

"Oh, I just thought I'd share something with you that I found yesterday. I thought you should see this," replied Alicia, handing him over some printed pages of articles.

He flipped through the stack and just saw articles and pictures of Gabriella with headlines like "Montez wows as lead in school play" and "Scholastic Decathlon champions led by Gabriella Montez". Troy looked up at Alicia half-way through and asked, "What am I supposed to learn here? I know that Gabriella has done all these things, she's multitalented unlike some people here. What's your point?"

Alicia gave him an annoyed look. "Fine, flip to the last page," instructed Alicia.

Troy took the last page out of the stack and put it on top of the others as he scanned it. This time, the picture looked like it was a candid picture and not posed, like the others had been. On the paper was a quick, tabloid style article on Gabriella Montez, making her out to be someone famous. 'What in the world?' he wondered as he read the article that made no mention of who she really was to the world but called her one of the famous yet unknown people on the planet. Troy looked for the source and recognized it as one of those popular celebrity blog sites that he sometimes caught the Evans twins looking at during classes on their cell phones.

"So, I'm willing to bet that you didn't know about this accomplishment, or status should I say, of our dear friend over at West," purred Alicia. "If she's hiding what she is so much, don't you think that maybe it's for a good reason? Who is she and what makes her famous? I couldn't find the answer on the internet but I'm sure it's out there somewhere. My point to you Troy though is if she's hiding this, what else has she lied to you about? Maybe she is using you just to pass her time before she moves again. Looks to me like she never stays in one place all that long."

"How do I even know this is real, especially coming from you?" challenged Troy.

Alicia shrugged. "Check out the website. That's the only posting they have there of her but even if just one site has it, that means she is someone not very average doesn't it? I mean, you are New Mexico's top basketball player but you aren't on sites like this, just in news articles like the rest of the stack is made of. Just think of it Troy, I'm just concerned she's hiding lots of bigger things from you, not just who she is and why she keeps moving. Just remember, when she finally hurts you, I'll be here for you."

"Not likely," returned Troy. "I know about you and your little crush on Riley Sutton and the way you brought him to the party. Even if I end up getting burned by Gabriella, it's far better than being with the likes of you. You've got your own secrets but you also have a twisted outlook on life and people. I don't know why we ever went out. I do have to hand it to you though, you were a great actress into fooling me into thinking you were some sweet innocent girl but you couldn't last the distance. You showed your true colors in the end and if your deceit wasn't enough towards the end of our 'relationship', seeing you show up with Sutton and his gang this past weekend was more than enough to spell it out for me. You, Alicia, are definitely not the one for me."

"That's what you say now but we'll see if you change your tune, especially if Riley succeeds in getting his hands on her. Will you still want her after that?" taunted Alicia, instantly covering her mouth when she realized what she just revealed.

"What did you say?" demanded Troy, slamming his hands on the lockers behind Alicia so she couldn't run away but making sure not to touch her. "What do you know Alicia?"

"Nothing! I just know Riley is pissed off as anything at you and he knows that hurting Gabriella is like hurting you in your weakest spot, not to mention that he is obsessed with her, God knows why. Seriously, what is it with you guys and this stupid girl?" demanded Alicia.

"Something you'll never ever understand," replied Troy, pushing off the lockers and quickly striding down the halls, worry eating at him as to what Riley was going to do next. He didn't even see Chad, Zeke, and Jason, who were chilling against Chad's locker when he passed as Troy was busy texting Gabriella to make sure she was all right.

_**Brie, please tell me you are okay.**_

Troy jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder, almost dropping his cell phone as he spun around to see Chad standing beside him with a concerned look etched into his face. "Dude, don't scare me like that."

"What's up? I could read that worry off you like a bad cologne," stated Chad.

"Alicia gave me these," said Troy, handing the papers over to Chad. "But what bothers me is what she slipped out about Riley wanting to get his hands on Gabriella to satisfy his obsession but to also get back at me."

A relieved look washed over Troy's face as he got a text back from Gabriella.

_**All is well here, I'm just sitting at home, BORED. Shouldn't you be learning mister?**_

'Thank God she's all right. I forgot she was no longer at West now,' thought Troy before he sent another message back.

_**I will be in…5 minutes…just wanted to check up on you, forgot you were doing the homeschooled thing or whatever it is you are doing. I love you Brie.**__  
_  
He smiled when he got a message back in no time, seeing Gabriella had sent her love back to him via the last text she sent. When Troy looked up, he saw that Chad was reading the article from the celebrity blog, a confused look on his face. "I felt that way too when I read that. That's the only one of its type that Alicia said she could find but I don't know if I really put anything at stake to what she claims," stated Troy.

"We should ask the Evans if they know anything about this. They are all about the famous people and stuff, right?" suggested Chad.

"Brilliant Chad!" exclaimed Troy before he grabbed that sheet of paper from his best friend and chased after Ryan Evans, who he saw pass by them a few seconds ago. "RYAN!"

Ryan turned his head and curiously looked at the running basketball captain as Troy got closer. "Troy Bolton, are you actually wanting to speak to me?"

Troy nodded his head. "I know, it's unusual but I have a question. Do you know anything about this girl in this article?" he asked, shoving the paper into Ryan's hands.

The blonde thespian scanned the article and shook his head. "I read that on the blog a few weeks back but never did figure out what was 'special' about this girl. Why are you so interested?"

"Err, no reason," returned Troy. "Just found she was pretty was all. Thanks Ryan!"

Chad waited until Troy returned, just as the bell rang signaling they had only a few minutes to get to PE. "So? Did he know anything?"

"Nada. I think I scared Ryan by the way but he said he had seen it but never quite figured out anything more than just this article. There's gotta be something there though now that I know that this is a legit article," mumbled Troy as he and Chad joined up with Zeke and Jason again to walk to the gym. 'But what is it?'

- - -

As promised to her parents, Gabriella went to West High during the last period, in the middle of it so that she wouldn't run into any stragglers. Paul held open a large duffle bag for Gabriella as he dutifully waited for her to empty all the contents of her locker out, being her silent support she needed to not break down especially as she took the pictures of her, Sarah, Beth, and Tessa down from the locker's door that she had put up only a few weeks ago. Once done, she zipped up the bag and tried to take it from Paul, who wouldn't have any of it.

"I've got it, don't worry," assured Paul as the two left the empty locker behind, Gabriella giving it one last look, along with the rest of the halls of West High that she knew held good memories as well as bad.

They briefly met with Principal Martin, who nodded his understanding of Gabriella's departure before he walked them out to the front of the school, wishing Gabriella the best. When Paul and Gabriella got back into her car, she started it and drove slowly away, feeling silly for having a tear slip down her cheek as she watched West High get smaller and smaller in her rear view mirror.

"Are you okay Gabriella?" asked a concerned Paul who saw the tear.

"Yes, just fine," answered Gabriella, wiping away at the tear and blinking her eyes several times. "I should be used to this, leaving a school behind but this time, I don't know Paul, I feel actually sadder for some reason. Like I'm leaving a serious part of me behind."

Paul thought for a moment before he spoke. "Well, you sort of are. You will never be a normal high school student again, at least from what we know now. Why don't we stop by that ice-cream place down the road that you like so much? I know a huge sundae should cheer you up," suggested Paul.

Gabriella's brown eyes lit up. "You are absolutely wonderful for thinking of that Paul! That sounds like just the ticket actually!"

They spent half an hour there at the ice cream parlor, just enjoying their ice-cream treats before they got back into Gabriella's car and drove home to the Montez house. Gabriella and Paul entered the house and settled down on the couch in the front living room, Gabriella leaning her head back on the couch's back cushion when Paul remembered Gabriella's bag. "Can I get your keys? I forgot to bring your bag in and I know you have some perishable food in there that barely survived your locker. I'd hate to step foot in that car if we leave it in there."

Gabriella rolled her eyes and tossed her keys to Paul. "Whatever you say Paul," replied Gabriella before closing her eyes again, thinking of what to do with herself. 'I feel so very useless and boring just sitting in this house. The tutor Mom found won't be available to come until Thursday, which means I have two more full days of nothing to do. There has to be something to do.'

She heard the front door open again and called out, "Paul, do you have the solution to boredom handy too?"

When she didn't hear anything back, Gabriella opened her eyes and screamed as Riley stood there in her entryway, that evil glint back in his eyes. "Hello Gabriella," greeted Riley, who moved to close and lock the front door.

Gabriella quickly got up on her feet and started to back away from him as she heard the sound of the metal lock locking into place. 'Oh God, he's got me cornered in a locked house,' thought Gabriella as her back hit the wall. She looked around looking for any type of weapon but failed to find one as Riley slowly started to advance, a predatory smile on his face appearing just before he stood in front of her.

His attention was diverted though when there was a loud rattling of the door's handle before the sound of a key in the lock of the front door was heard as it turned. "Paul, Riley's here!" warned Gabriella in a scream before she was slapped hard by Riley, who then turned to rush to the front door to try to prevent Paul's entrance.

Paul was too quick though and managed to get the door open before he entered the house, dropping Gabriella's bag down on the ground just before Riley tackled him to the ground. The two started wrestling, sounds of grunts and the sickening sound of physical contact being made as Paul and Riley both landed solid blows against each other. After a few moments of being frozen where she was out of fear, Gabriella moved quickly to the entryway when she saw something glittering from the entryway table, a letter opener. She grabbed it and after a few moments of hesitation as Paul and Riley were flipping each other over, Gabriella swung her weapon down and tried not to panic as she felt the blade sink into flesh. Gabriella instantly let go as Riley roared in pain and let go of Paul, who used this time to get back up on his feet and pushed Gabriella behind him as Riley looked down to see the letter opener sticking out of his side, only a quarter of the way in.

He grinned nastily at Gabriella over Paul's shoulder. "If you were trying to really kill me, you needed to drive this in a lot farther than that Gabriella. I'm disappointed in you," spat Riley as he pulled it out, brandishing it as his own new weapon.

Riley moved quickly as he approached Paul, the last barrier between him and Gabriella. He lunged at Paul, who had just done something with the electric watch on his left wrist without taking his eyes off Riley, and stabbed him in the right arm, making sure the blade went all the way through as Paul let out an agonizing scream in pain before Riley pulled out the letter opener. Seeing that Paul was still trying to protect Gabriella while clutching his arm, Riley grabbed Paul's shoulders and threw him roughly against the wall nearby, watching with sick satisfaction as Paul's now unconscious body slid down the wall as a result of Paul's head making hard contact with the wall.

Seeing there was now nothing between her and Riley, Gabriella did the only thing she knew to do in a situation like this, she ran. Unfortunately, before she could get any farther than the formal dining room, Gabriella felt herself hit the hardwood floor before she was crushed by a heavy weight, Riley. She started screaming out of instinct as Riley roughly flipped her over. He quickly silenced Gabriella with a hard slap to her face, followed by another one when it looked to him like she would try screaming again. After lying there in pain for a few moments, Gabriella opened her eyes again as she felt cold steel with a warm liquid on it touch her stomach to see Riley use his weapon to rip open Gabriella's baby-t in one swift move, Gabriella wincing as she heard the ripping of cotton before she felt the cold draft of the air on her bare skin.

"I told you Gabriella, I always get what I want," sneered Riley with an evil smirk on his face as he captured both of Gabriella's wrists above her head before she felt his large hand on her left thigh, moving up faster than she could think.

Gabriella tried kicking out but was unable to make a solid blow, only succeeding in getting herself slapped again before Riley used his lower arm to put pressure on her throat to cut her air off as she tried to breathe in while he used his right hand to unbutton her jeans. After some time, he noticed Gabriella give up fighting as she struggled to just breathe, her face red from the lack of oxygen. Riley used this time to use both of his hands to pull her jeans all the way off, realizing she was starting to become feisty again as she landed a solid kick to his chin with her right foot. "You're going to regret that," promised Riley before he threw his body back onto hers but not before taking in the image of Gabriella with only her underwear on.

She tried fighting Riley off, not being too successful as Gabriella was still trying to breathe in plenty of air but she was determined to not go down without a fight. Gabriella managed to land a good punch to Riley's left eye before he pinned her wrists down to the ground again as he slapped her, swearing at her actions. She screamed a few moments later as she felt her cotton bikini being ripped away before she felt herself rip in half. Tears filled Gabriella's eyes as she continued to scream, begging Riley to stop but feeling helpless as he continued to have his way with her.

Suddenly, Riley's weight was pulled off of her and Gabriella found she could breathe again, looking around in a confused manner, noting now that the front door was thrown wide open and there were sounds of a commotion going on to her left, accentuated by the loud crash of glass breaking. Gabriella threw her head to the side just as bits of glass flew towards her but turned her head back in time to see two guys exchanging blows between shoving each other against the wall. 'Troy?' she wondered before she tried to get up.

Her efforts were interrupted as there was a large commotion coming from the front door again as men dressed in normal clothing but armed filled the front rooms, pointing guns towards the two fighting.

"FREEZE!" demanded the lead, pointing his gun right at Troy.

Troy immediately stopped fighting with Riley when he heard the deep voice, which left him open to one last blow from his opponent, who picked up the dropped letter opener and stabbed Troy in the side, forcing Troy to drop down to the ground in pain. A single shot was then fired, aimed right for Riley's right shoulder. Once Riley was down on the ground, clutching his shoulder, Troy grabbed onto his injured left side while he slowly crawled over to Gabriella, who was now curled up in a ball, shaking, pushing aside his own immense pain from the injury. 'God, what has he done?' wondered Troy, feeling completely helpless as the tears continued to slide down Gabriella's face. "Gabriella, I'm right here Brie, you're safe, it's over," called out Troy, trying to somehow comfort Gabriella who now looked beyond able to hear him.

"Stand back," commanded the same deep voice as Troy neared Gabriella, freezing Troy in his spot on the floor.

'Who are these guys?' wondered Troy before thoughts from earlier on in the day came back to the front of his mind, thoughts of who Gabriella was to be considered famous and now to have this type of armed attention.

"No, it's okay," said a weak voice, attention being drawn to a now barely conscious Paul, who was still nursing his arm and sitting halfway up against the wall. "He's fine."

The leader gave a nod before backing up and making sure Riley was restrained and taken out of the house, howling in pain as the armed men bodily escorted him out, ignoring also the blood that trickled down from Riley's stab wound in the side.

Before Troy could actually make it to Gabriella though, both of them were surrounded by medical teams busy with both of their injuries. Troy tried his hardest to try to even catch a glimpse of his girlfriend but only succeeded in seeing flashes of her hair and skin between legs and feet so he kept calling out her name, letting her know he was somewhere there with her. He gave up trying to look for her as he felt the medical team around him touch and prod his side where the letter opener still stuck out, wincing in pain as they tried to take it out. After some distant sounding discussion above his head, Troy felt himself lifted up on what he guessed was a stretcher as he was moved out of the Montez house. He threw a look back to where Gabriella once was and saw that she no longer was curled up there either.

All four were taken to the nearest hospital's emergency room to have the injuries treated, Riley being separated in a room by himself with seven armed guards in the room and outside, ensuring he would not be escaping the consequence of what he committed earlier. After trying to escape the hands of the medical staff attending him but failing, Troy gave up for a moment before he tried again as he was tortured by the fact that he could hear Gabriella crying somewhere in the open room but was unable to hold her and soothe her like he knew she needed him to.

Seeing that the young man was fighting to get out of the hospital bed, the attending doctor decided to give the young man a sedative through the IV line already in Troy's right arm and watched as Troy's body slowly gave up the fight enough to allow the team of nurses and doctors to finally work on him and his numerous injuries in peace.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Gabriella woke up the next morning to the sun streaming through her windows of her bedroom. She groaned as she shut out the light by closing her eyes, having not had any real sleep at the hospital or since coming home while experiencing a sudden flashback from yesterday as memories flooded her conscious mind.

_After what seemed like hours of having constant medical attention as she was examined, cleaned up, her blood taken, an IV put into her arm, and some limited questioning, Gabriella had a few moments of peace as she leaned back in the hospital bed, now in her own private room. One of the guards came into the room, the one she recognized as the lead of the team, and looked on at her from a few feet away. _

"I'm sorry we weren't there early enough to prevent this," apologized the man. "Paul must have hit the wrong button. We heard noises but spent some time trying to figure out what was going on so we lost minutes when we could have arrived there in time before your offender attacked you. There was a panic button that Paul could have hit, I don't understand how he didn't hit that one instead."

Gabriella shook her head at the man. "This isn't Paul's fault. He fought hard to try to keep me safe and whenever he hit that button that he managed to hit was in between a lot of intense fighting between him and Riley. What is your name sir?"

"Carl Michaels, miss," said the lead. "Well I am sorry that we did not make it there in time if that means anything to you."

"Thank you," whispered Gabriella before she realized that not only was Paul hurt but so was Troy. "How are the others?"

"Paul is recovering. He is conscious but will be out of duty for some time. The young man who was fighting your attacker is getting attended to but is sedated from what I have seen. He put up quite a fight against the larger boy, I have to hand it to him," stated Carl.

"Thank God they are both fine," thought Gabriella before she closed her eyes again, only to have them open as soon as she heard her mother's voice.

Carl silently made his exit while Annette came rushing in, tears escaping down her cheeks. "Gabriella, my dear sweet daughter. What did that monster do to you?"

Gabriella clung to her mother as Annette wrapped her daughter into her embrace, rocking her a little as she tried soothing a now sobbing Gabriella. "Mom, it was so terrible! Riley hurt Paul and Troy and he… he… he had his way with me…"

"Oh God," murmured Annette as she tried to block the images of what must have happened from her mind. "Shh, it's okay, Mommy is here now."

Gabriella remained like that for some time, safely tucked away from the world in her mother's arms, slowly stopping her crying as she managed to get a hold of her emotions. A nurse interrupted the moment when she came in with a tray that had a cup of water and a pill.

"What is that?" asked Annette, already having a suspicion of what the single pill was.

"It's Plan B, the first dose. I'll come back with the second dose in about twelve hours if Miss Montez is still here or we'll give it to you to administer but it is crucial she takes both for this to have the desired effect," answered the nurse.

"What's Plan B?" questioned Gabriella, eyeing the single pill on the tray.

"It's a preventative medicine to make sure you don't conceive from your…unfortunate experience earlier today," explained the nurse. "We have already done some blood tests but you will need to come back for some more in a week or two to make sure you haven't contracted anything else. The doctor will be in shortly as well to conduct some tests for STDs."

Gabriella looked back at the nurse confused as she wiped away the last of her tears. "I thought that was what was done earlier when I was examined…down there," returned Gabriella, unable to really verbalize anything more.

The nurse shook her head. "We were collecting evidence for the rape kit. You have a slight tear from the forced entry and the doctor had to stitch you up a little too. I really am so sorry miss," said the nurse, feeling her heart break as she saw the tears gather in the young girl's eyes again.

'Rape,' thought Gabriella, the single word echoing in her mind as flashes of what happened earlier in the day started to replay themselves in her mind. 'He actually raped me, he tore me in half, he took away what I promised I'd save until marriage. Rape…'

Annette took the cup and pill from the nurse, seeing Gabriella was in no shape to take it right at that moment, and put it on the side table. She sat on the edge of the bed and gathered Gabriella in her arms again, just holding her daughter and murmuring soothing things, wishing silently that there was something more that Annette could do to make this better for Gabriella, to take her place. Just like before, after some time, Gabriella calmed herself down and pulled away, wiping away at the tears that were on her face again.

"Can I have the pill?" asked Gabriella, knowing even in the state she was in how important that first of two doses was to taking care of any further "consequences" of Riley's attack on her.

Annette handed Gabriella the glass of water and then the pill, watching as Gabriella eyed it for a moment before she threw it in her mouth and swallowed it, drinking the rest of the water with it. Gabriella's mother stayed with her from that moment on, holding her hand as the doctor came in and performed the additional tests as needed as well as checked on the stitches she had placed earlier in that area. The doctor then checked Gabriella's other injuries and nodded her head in approval when everything looked clean and on its way to healing properly with no sign of infection.

It wasn't until there was a soft knock on the doorway's frame that Annette left Gabriella's side, seeing Troy sitting in a wheelchair there, an anxious look on his face. Annette kissed Gabriella's forehead before she eased her hand out of her daughter's grasp and left the room but not before giving Troy an encouraging smile.

The nurse wheeled Troy next to Gabriella's bed and left, leaving the two teenagers to look at each other from where they were. Neither said anything for a few minutes, both just taking the time to absorb the fact that both of them were fine, well at least alive, and they were able to stare into each other's eyes again. Troy eventually slowly eased himself out of the wheelchair and sat on the side of Gabriella's bed, wincing in the process as he stretched his side a little more than he should have with the fresh stitches that were holding his wound together. Gabriella's face instantly clouded with concern as she saw this, not disappearing even after Troy shook his head to let her know it was okay.

When Troy reached out to touch Gabriella's left cheek, careful to not apply too much pressure because of her bruise, his heart broke as she quickly flinched away from his touch, confusion in her eyes before it cleared. "I'm sorry," apologized Gabriella.

Troy blinked a few times, trying to hide the fact that the single act that just happened spoke more than words could as to how deeply Gabriella had been affected. "No, I'm sorry Gabriella. I should have been there earlier, I could have saved you. I failed you Brie," said Troy, meaning every word. Troy had spent much of his time being restricted to his hospital bed thinking those same thoughts, that he failed Gabriella when it was the most important time to protect her.

Gabriella shook her head, seeing the agony of self-torture that Troy was putting himself through. "It's not your fault Troy, it's mine. I should have protected myself better, I should have been smarter, I should have made it even clearer that I didn't have any interest in Riley, it's all my fault! I don't blame you if you don't ever want to talk to or touch me again," confessed Gabriella. "Now I'm forever dirty, tainted by his actions. I'll always be known as Riley's dirty slut!"

"Stop it! Brie, none of that is true and deep in your heart you know I'm right. None of this was your fault Gabriella, that's why they call it rape. He took away your will in this matter and you are in no way to blame for this Gabriella, not one bit," stated Troy, his anger at the other boy evident in his voice. "Please Gabriella, don't let Riley win any more than he already has. You cannot beat yourself over something he did to you, not with you. He hurt you in one of the worst ways I could ever imagine and I could murder him for hurting you this way. Brie, don't you see? I love you, no matter what happened earlier today, nothing is going to change that."

She looked away from Troy, unable to look into those loving blue eyes of his. "But today's events, they are only a few reasons why you shouldn't love me. Not only am I dirt now, there's this whole other side of me you don't even know about, there are things that I don't even know if you would accept," admitted Gabriella.

"Like why there are armed men outside your door right now? Why they were so quick to respond instead of police this afternoon? I have all those questions in my mind Gabriella but I don't need the answers now. All I want now is for you to get better, for you to realize that you are more than worthy of the love I am offering you, that I don't see you any different after this incident than I did before," returned Troy, gently turning her face back towards him. "Brie, please, don't do this to yourself, it's not fair to you. You can blame Paul, you can blame me, and you should definitely be blaming Riley, but you should not be blaming yourself for this, really."

Tears began to cascade down Gabriella's cheeks as she searched those gorgeous blue eyes of Troy's, finding only genuine care, love, and compassion for her reflected back from those blue orbs. She allowed him to finally gather her into his arms, Troy fighting his own tears back as the love of his young life sobbed her heart out into his neck, sending rivers of tears down his neck and chest. They sat there in silence, Troy letting Gabriella get out all of her emotions as he held her, providing her the sense of safety Gabriella so desperately needed to feel at that very moment. With each sob Troy felt Gabriella's body convulse with, his anger grew towards Riley Sutton and what that jerk did to his Brie, his sweet Brie. 'If he wasn't in custody already I'd hurt that bastard,' thought Troy as he gently ran his right hand up and down Gabriella's spine, hoping she'd make it out of this incident with as few complications as possible.  
  
Gabriella opened her brown eyes again and blinked back the tears that threatened to fall at the memory of just being held by Troy, remembering the intense amount of love and care with safety mixed in with all the emotions the two shared with no words at all. 'What did I ever do to deserve him?' she wondered, turning her head to see the teddy bear Troy had given her on Valentine's Day was tucked into the bed next to her. 

"Hey Sleeping Beauty, I see you are finally awake," greeted a smiling Tessa with Taylor and Annette behind her. "Can we come in and disturb you or do you still need your rest?"

"No, come on in," replied Gabriella, trying to sit up in her bed but finding it too painful to move. "I'm sorry. I'd sit up but, well…"

Taylor shook her head. "Don't even apologize for being in pain Gabriella, it's okay," answered Taylor, knowing what Gabriella was going to say. "How are you feeling? Wait, don't answer that, stupid question."

Gabriella gave the other girl a small smile. "No it isn't, God knows everyone else has been asking," replied Gabriella. "I'm not okay but hopefully one day I will be?"

"Your mom here said you've been having nightmares all night and morning. Do you want my mom to drop by with some sleeping pills or something?" offered Tessa, knowing that drugs would help but wouldn't cure the problem that was plaguing her best friend.

After some thinking, Gabriella shook her head. "No, if I'm going to get over this, I'm going to have to do this on my own. I need to bite the bullet and master these thoughts and nightmares, I need to be strong," insisted Gabriella. "I can't let him win."

Tessa shot Annette and Taylor a concerned look before looking back at her best friend. "Gabriella, it's okay to hurt and to be confused right now, honest. You don't need to push yourself so hard and so fast to get over this. This wasn't something small like Riley bruising your wrist."

"How would you know?" snapped Gabriella, finally showing some anger over the whole situation. "You weren't there! You didn't have his breath breathing on your neck as he ripped you in half! You didn't feel his rough hands skim your naked skin, you didn't have him rip off your clothes before he violated you in the worst way possible besides killing you! Do you know what? I wanted him to kill me Tessa! I wanted Riley to put me out of my misery! I still do…"

Tears filled Annette's eyes as she saw the true depth of what Gabriella was really feeling now, the full picture of Gabriella's thoughts and emotions, not just the sadness that Gabriella had shown since Annette had arrived at the hospital. Slowly, Annette made the move to sit next to Gabriella as Tessa and Taylor stood behind Gabriella's mother, both unsure of what to do at that very moment.

"Gabriella," started Annette.

"No, I don't want to hear it Mom. All yesterday and last night, all I heard was how I needed to not blame myself, how it was Riley's fault, how I needed to be strong. Well I'm sorry but I can't be that person. This is eating me up, don't you understand? I'm afraid of letting myself not think and go to sleep because I know I'll just relive those horrible moments that changed my life forever," confessed Gabriella, finally looking back at her mother. "God Mom, I'm so sorry, you too Tessa. I didn't mean to snap like that, I don't know what's wrong with me."

Annette pulled her daughter into her arms and held her, for what felt like the hundredth time in the past twenty-four hours but Annette didn't mind. 'As long as this is really what she needs, I'll hold her until the end of time,' thought Gabriella's mother, new worries about Gabriella's well-being cropping up in her mind. After some time, she pulled away to let Tessa and Taylor have their own talk and hugs with Gabriella, knowing the two best friends were there to support Gabriella in ways that Gabriella needed the most right then.

With some help from Tessa, Gabriella got herself out of her bed and moved around the room a little, not wanting to be confined to her bed any longer. She took baby steps to try to accommodate her injuries but Gabriella found herself wanting to run all of a sudden, from what she didn't know. Before Taylor or Tessa realized what she was doing, Gabriella walked out of her bedroom and started to walk down the stairs, taking it one step at a time and leaning against the rail.

Tessa ran down the stairs and quickly stopped Gabriella mid-way. "What do you need down here Gabriella? I can get it for you, you should be in bed," stated Tessa, desperately hoping Gabriella would give up and go back to her room.

Gabriella gave her best friend a weird look. "What's the matter with you Tessa? I just want to go downstairs, get a glass of water, maybe watch some television and see if I can get my mind off things," explained Gabriella. "Can't I do that?"

"Umm, yeah, but why don't we watch TV in your room? I'll get the water," volunteered Tessa.

"Sweet of you but I don't get cable in my room," replied Gabriella. "Please, let me do this for myself. I need to do this for myself."

Tessa shot Taylor a worried look who just returned it, neither girl not knowing how else to convince Gabriella to not go downstairs without seeming too pushy or bodily carrying Gabriella back upstairs.

Just then, the front door opened and Gabriella heard a familiar voice call out. "Daddy?" asked Gabriella, hope brightening her face.

Stephen quickly closed the door and locked it behind him before he moved to the stairs where he saw his daughter standing with her two best friends in front and behind her. "Gabriella, my God I've been so worried. I came home on the first flight I could catch," stated Stephen before he ran up the stairs and scooped Gabriella into his arms, relieved to be able to hold his baby girl in his arms after the whole ordeal was explained to him over the phone by Annette and Carl, the lead of the security team. "God I'm so sorry this happened, so sorry."

Gabriella shook her head, steeling herself against the wave of tears that threatened to fall again. Stephen eventually realized they were still standing on the stairs of their house, Tessa and Taylor now standing behind Gabriella. "I'm sorry, was I interrupting you from going down or up the stairs?"

"I was just going to get some water and watch some TV downstairs," explained Gabriella.

Stephen saw the furious shaking of the heads of his daughter's best friends but didn't understand their meaning. "Well come on, don't let me stop you. Where's your mom?"

Gabriella thought for a moment before she shrugged. "I don't know. She left my room some time ago after Tay and Tessa and I started talking."

"Never mind, you go do what you were doing but I do want to talk to you later okay? God, I'm just so happy you are okay after all that, I was imagining the worst ever since your mom called," confessed Stephen.

She gave her father a small smile. "I'm all right, really," promised Gabriella before she went down the stairs.

'That's not what she said earlier,' thought Tessa, worried again about Gabriella making it down the stairs.

This time, Taylor managed to get in front of Gabriella before she could make it all the way down the stairs. "What is it now?" asked a frustrated Gabriella. "I just want to go downstairs. Why are you and Tessa making such a big deal out of this?"

Taylor looked to Tessa for help before she looked back to Gabriella and said, "Well, you may not be ready for what's down here," expressed Taylor. "It's still a, err, crime scene."

Gabriella paled at these words, forgetting that there would still be a mess that couldn't be cleaned up until all the investigation was done. "A crime scene," muttered Gabriella. 'Is that the terminology for what happened to me yesterday? Rape, crime scene, rape? My God…'

Taylor panicked as Gabriella crumpled onto the step above where she was standing on, sobbing uncontrollably. Taylor quickly gathered Gabriella into her arms, rocking her back and forth, while Tessa ran to answer the door after the doorbell rang at the same time. She peeked through the peephole and was relieved to see Troy and Chad on the other side.

"Thank God Troy, she needs you," greeted Tessa, grabbing Troy's right arm and dragging him inside to the bottom of the stairs, not even acknowledging Chad.

Troy immediately rushed over to sit on the other side of Gabriella on the step, carefully taking her sobbing body from Taylor, who also looked relieved to see the teenaged boy. "Shh, it's going to be all right Brie, I'm right here," soothed Troy, closing his eyes against the emotions that surfaced again, the same ones he felt every time he had held her like this yesterday at the hospital. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you again, I promise, I promise on my life."

"Troy, I'm so scared," confessed Gabriella, crying more into Troy's neck, not caring she was letting her emotions win again. "I'm so, so scared."

Chad, Taylor, and Tessa watched the couple from the bottom of the stairs while Stephen and Annette watched from the top, all five realizing how much Gabriella truly was really damaged and torn apart by what happened in this very house less than twenty-four hours ago, despite Gabriella's protests otherwise. What was clear to them too was how Troy was the soothing balm that Gabriella needed the most at this time, the way that he could comfort her and make her feel safe again on a completely different level than anyone else could, even Annette, who had always been able to be there for Gabriella before.

Before Gabriella began to fall asleep some time after her last tears were spilled, still wrapped in Troy's arms on the stairs, she heard the four words she needed to hear to have the first almost peaceful sleep she had in the past day: "I love you Brie."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"I can't believe today, right now, marks one whole week since Riley's attack," said Gabriella quietly to herself as she stared at her packed suitcases in her bedroom after she looked at her watch on her wrist. Everything else in her bedroom had been packed up this past weekend, her stereo, her stuffed animals, her pictures on the walls, her picture frames. Not a single thing was left in her room but her clothes, the sheets on her bed, and a few personal items. There were also two picture frames still out. One of her with Taylor, Tessa, Sarah, and Beth taken a few weeks back when they were hanging out at Tessa's house and one of her and Troy on the night of the Masquerade Ball, given to her by Beth and Sarah in the light brown wooded frame with the word romance etched into the wood with two hearts on each side.

Despite everything Gabriella had agreed upon with her parents, after last week, there was no stopping what was happening today, an early departure for their summer destination. 'Unlike little than a week ago though, I couldn't agree more with my parents on our departure now. I can't stay here, not after everything,' thought Gabriella, closing her eyes against the memories of her numerous breakdowns in the past week, especially the one that sealed the decision on the Montez family leaving town and this house behind them.

_After being careful over the last four days to avoid the formal dining room, the living room, and the entryway and confining herself mainly to the upstairs rooms, Gabriella decided that it was time to face her fears on Saturday afternoon. As she slowly crept down the stairs, taking her time, Gabriella was comforted by hearing her mom singing softly to some song on the radio in the loft, giving something for Gabriella to cling to that represented safety. Gabriella stood on the last step of the stairs, giving herself enough time to run back up the stairs if she wanted to before she set foot in the entryway hallway, relieved that nothing happened. 'Stupid Gabriella, what did you think was going to happen?' she silently chided herself. She became more adventurous and stepped a little more into the entryway, forcing herself to look around, grateful that everything was now cleaned up as the evidence had all been collected. _

As she looked around, Gabriella was happy that all she saw really was just furniture and cream colored walls, no blood, nothing broken. She walked into the living room, running her hand over the back of the couch where she had laid her head that day before Riley appeared, having apparently snuck into the house via the unlocked door when Paul had gone out to get her bag from the car. Gabriella steeled herself for the flashbacks but thanked her lucky stars when nothing happened. Feeling a bit more comfortable and brave, Gabriella turned around and moved down the hall to the formal dining room.

Gabriella paused at the threshold, taking in a deep breath of air before she moved and felt the hardwood floor under her feet. That's when it hit her, every vivid detail from Riley's violation replaying and replaying in Gabriella's mind until she was down on the ground, sobbing from the feelings that played out again. In her mind, all Gabriella could see, all she could feel was Riley on top of her, his breath on her neck, his hands and cold steel touching her skin, the feeling of being ripped apart as he gave no care to her and what he was doing to her. The tears came and poured out of her as if she hadn't been crying for days before off and on, increasing as the memories increased in frequency, certain sounds replaying and replaying in her mind, the ripping of her clothes and underwear, Riley's grunts, her own screams. Just staring at where it all happened, the side of the formal dining room that was now spotless but having that soundtrack in her head began to drive her mad as she brought her legs up to her tightly and hugged them close to her body, unconsciously rocking back and forth until her father came rushing into the room from the family room.

"Gabriella? Gabriella? Sweetie, shh, it's all right, it's over," comforted Stephen as he held his daughter tight to him, as he and Annette had done countless times in the last few days. However, as many times as they had endured this same episode, Stephen found that his heart had never ceased to break with each tear his daughter shed, his only comfort being that the boy who did this to his baby girl wouldn't have a chance of seeing freedom until the trial set for the fall. Stephen had used his connections to make sure that Riley Sutton's bail was set high to make it difficult for anyone to actually pay to get him out while also making sure that the victims' names were not released, easy to do since they were minors, except for Paul.

After hearing the sobs and the sporadic screams from downstairs over the music Annette was listening to, she ran down the stairs to see that Stephen was already embracing Gabriella, letting her cry as she was tortured by the same flashbacks that seemed to haunt her without mercy. Annette sat down next to her family and wrapped her own arms around Gabriella, kissing her head as she felt Gabriella's body heave with another sob.

Stephen caught Annette's gaze and shook his head. "We need to leave here, we need to go early to Copanvy. She can't stay here in this house like this and we are only torturing Gabriella by staying here longer. We'll pack up and sell the house immediately. I'll have someone handle the business part here while we are gone."

"But what about our promise to her to come back?" questioned Annette, knowing that visiting was one thing but staying in Copanvy was a whole different story, not wanting to add something else for Gabriella to worry about.

"We will come back, I gave you and Gabriella my word on that, just not here. It's obvious that she needs to be in new surroundings and needs help. My mother already has been advised of the situation and has found someone discreet to help Gabriella while we are there," stated Stephen. "You must see this is the only option we have."

Annette bit her lip, a trait Gabriella had inherited from her, and reluctantly nodded, noticing at the same time that Gabriella's breathing was becoming more even. She pulled her daughter closer to her so that Gabriella's head was resting on Annette's shoulder as Stephen stood up and started making phone calls to get everything going.

"So we're leaving?" asked a quiet Gabriella, wiping away her tears.

"Just for the summer," replied Annette. "We'll come back to a new house and start again new, all right sweetie?"

Gabriella nodded her head, knowing that her parents knew better than her what she needed at the moment. 'I can't even live productively these days, how can I make my own decisions?' wondered Gabriella before she closed her eyes again, not wanting to look back at the formal dining room. She turned her head away and looked at the entryway, her eyes landing on the same spot that Paul had been knocked unconscious and knew that this was what she needed, to leave this house and hopefully the memories.  
  
Gabriella was startled out of her memory at a knock on her door, surprise showing on her face at seeing Tessa and Taylor standing there. "Hey," greeted Gabriella, forcing a smile on her face, a sight that was too familiar to her two best friends. 

"So today is the big day you're leaving, huh? We'll miss you all summer but at least you get to communicate with us this time, right?" stated Tessa. "No disappearing like the last time you left town?"

Gabriella shook her head. "No disappearing, promise. I guess you are here to say goodbye, huh?"

Taylor nodded her head. "Yes, we wanted to make sure we got one last visit in. It's going to be a long summer after all."

"Did you say good-bye to boyfriend yesterday?" asked Tessa, knowing she may be pushing it a bit.

Gabriella sadly nodded her head. "I don't think that term can rightfully be used with him right now though," replied Gabriella, staring off into the corner of her soon to be old room, remembering what happened yesterday.

_It was Sunday morning and Gabriella knew that with them leaving tomorrow that she needed to see Troy and needed to tell him everything, including the secret which she knew he was close to piecing together on his own anyway. The previous night, after Gabriella had gone back upstairs and managed to get a grip on herself again, she had talked to both of her parents about telling Troy, Tessa, and Taylor the truth of who she and they all were before they left. Stephen and Annette had agreed that this was the best thing to do as no one knew what the media would spill and with these days of having sources everywhere, the truth or some sort of version of it was more likely to get out as each day passed with Riley's trial coming up in a few months. They, well her mother more so than her father, also trusted in Gabriella's judgment of these three teenagers to trust them enough to not do the wrong thing with this new information Gabriella was about to share. That and they wanted to make everything as easy as they could for their daughter, who was already battling more than she should have to at her age. _

By the time Gabriella stood on the Bolton's front porch, sudden doubts had wormed their way into her mind as she waited for someone to answer the doorbell. Mrs. Bolton opened it and gave Gabriella a smile. "Hello Gabriella. Here to see Troy?"

Gabriella nodded her head. "Is he here?"

"Out in the back, playing basketball with his dad," informed Mrs. Bolton. "Why don't you come in and we'll go through the house to the backyard together? I need to get Jack in to get him ready for a visit with our friends across town anyway."

"Thanks," returned Gabriella before she stepped into the house, following Troy's mother through the house and to the back door that led to the backyard.

"Boys! Time to call it quits! Jack, you have twenty minutes to get ready if we are going to be on time for the visit with the Smiths," called out Mrs. Bolton, earning both her son's and her husband's attention.

Troy's gaze quickly switched over to Gabriella, who had a worried look on her face as she nibbled at the corner of her lip. The good mood and adrenaline he had going through the game vanished as he knew something serious was going on with his girlfriend. He barely noticed when his dad patted his back before running inside the house with his wife, greeting Gabriella in passing.

Once they were alone in the backyard, Gabriella walked down the steps of the back porch and slowly approached Troy, each step giving Troy a clearer view of her face, especially her eyes that now held tears. "Gabriella, what is it? Did something happen? Riley didn't escape and attack you again did he?" asked Troy, concerned with Gabriella's current state.

Gabriella shook her head immediately. "No, nothing like that. I think it's time we talk though Troy," said Gabriella in a small voice, bringing herself to finally look Troy in the eyes. "You need to know the truth of who I am, from me, before I tell you everything else."

Troy nodded his head, knowing that Gabriella was about to tell him the answers to all the questions that had been running around in his head since Monday. The two sat down on the grass next to the basketball court, Gabriella fighting the urge to lean into his shoulder as she usually did. 'God this is so hard,' thought Gabriella before she looked back at Troy.

"You mentioned something to me in the hospital about how you were curious as to who I was to have armed guards of sorts around me. I think you convinced yourself I was some secret Hollywood star. I'm not that, I couldn't act my way out of a bag," stated Gabriella. "The secret then? It can maybe be best explained by telling you who Paul is. Paul is my personally assigned bodyguard."

"I figured that much earlier this week," returned Troy, nodding his head again.

Gabriella took in a deep breath, breaking off a blade of grass from the lawn and playing with it before she spoke again. "I have a bodyguard, well now a team who is probably stationed discreetly in different parts of this backyard and in the front as we speak, because I'm not your average girl, as much as I wish I was. Since I was seven, I've known who I was but it never was real to me, not until my father came home and announced something had happened, something had changed to make it all that much more real and permanent. Troy, I'm a princess of a small country somewhere in Europe, a country called Copanvy."

After not hearing anything from Troy for several moments, she turned her head to see Troy swallowing hard, looking deep in thought as he looked off in the distance. "Wow," he finally murmured, not able to find a better word for what he was feeling at the moment. "An actual princess?"

"Yes," whispered Gabriella, hating this awkwardness. "When I vanished for three weeks, my father came home to tell us that his parents, the current King and Queen of Copanvy, had agreed to finally officially recognize us as his family. Our family's history is long and complicated but the summary is that my grandparents forbade my father from seeing a commoner like my mother when they met on my mom's travels during college when she was studying abroad. My father is a second son so he was always allowed to dress normally and was less recognized as he wasn't heir. However, that leniency was revealed to not extend to his choice in a bride. My father and mother continued to sneak around seeing each other until one of his friends betrayed him, exposing the relationship to my grandparents, who immediately gave him an ultimatum. Life as a royal or be with my mother. My father chose my mother and they secretly wed, setting up a life in the United States, a far distance away from my father's family, at least they thought. My father was around for the first seven years of my life until my grandparents reached out to him and asked for him to come back to Copanvy.

"At first, my father didn't want to go but as he had grown up there, my mother saw that he really did miss his home country and knew that my father's sense of duty to his country and now to his new family was tearing him apart. When he dared to ask if he could bring myself and my mother along, my grandparents outright refused, not willing to recognize the legitimacy of our family so my mother made the decision for him and told him to go. Since then, my father has visited us here and there every year, always keeping tabs of where my mother and I were despite the moves. My parents still love each other a lot but my mother made the decision for us all that my father needed to return while they agreed they wanted to raise me as a normal child and later teenager, that is until this year.

"When the end of March came, I couldn't have been happier. You and I had just gotten together, I was settling in all right into the new school despite Riley, and I had found some great friends here too. Then came the phone call from my father to my mother the night of the Spring Fling. My uncle, the first son of the royal family of Copanvy, got into a pretty bad car accident and eventually died while we were there for those three weeks. My father flew to Albuquerque to escort us there early on Sunday morning and I was told that I was going back with him, that I couldn't say anything to anyone. Everything happened so fast that I didn't even think to sneak a text until we were there in a limo on the way to the palace. My dad saw me with my cell phone on and poised to send a text to you when he took it away, knowing then that he couldn't trust me not to get in touch with you or Tessa or Taylor. He was right since I was after all trying to get in touch with you but that's why you never heard from me. There were some computers but they were in random places and even when I got into the city where there were cafes I always had someone with me, watching me."

Troy took some time to absorb everything in, a bit shocked at how much bigger the secret really was than just Gabriella being some famous singer or actress or model. "So that's why you came back with new guy Paul? He was to watch over you? How come you got hurt then when he was around?"

"Because as much as he was there to protect me, he still had a duty to respect my orders and wishes. I told him not to interfere when Riley bruised my arm at school that day but after that, he did everything he could. He got stabbed because of me, just as you were stabbed and hurt because of me on Monday," replied Gabriella, tears gathering in her eyes again at the memory. "God I feel so, so guilty still."

"Hey, come here," said Troy, wrapping his arms around Gabriella and bringing her closer to him, letting her tuck her head in the crook of his neck, her favorite spot as she cried a little. "I'm sure Paul doesn't blame you Gabriella, just as I never could."

"He says he doesn't just as you don't but you both are just being the nice guys that you are, you should be blaming me," returned Gabriella. "If I had never been born, none of this would have happened."

"No, no more talk like that Gabriella," stated Troy in a much stronger voice, pulling away to look into Gabriella's now drying eyes. "You would have deprived the world of so much had you not been born, you would have robbed me of the chance to learn what real love was like, to realize that there are many more sides to people than where they go to school and their favorite sport. If nothing else, I am glad you were born, that you came into my life, don't you forget that!"

"I don't know what I did to deserve you Troy," mumbled Gabriella, not believing how very caring he was of her. "So it doesn't faze you that I'm a princess, huh?"

Troy thought for a few moments before he replied, "To be honest, it does, it actually intimidates me a lot but that's what you are, not who you are. Who you are is still the sweet girl that stole my heart away by just singing with me during some stupid teen club thing up in the mountains. I don't know how I'd fit into your life now though."

Gabriella didn't have an answer for that. 'I don't even know how I fit in my own life,' sadly thought Gabriella. "The other reason why I came over was to tell you that I'm leaving with my parents for Copanvy tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? I thought you were going to stay for another few weeks at least," returned Troy, surprised at the sudden change in plans. "Did something happen?"

"Me and the stupid mess that is me," replied Gabriella, refusing to look Troy in the eyes again. "I'm just so messed up Troy, even I can see it. I hate who I am, what I've become in the last week. I tear up and sob at the smallest provocation, I have flashbacks to that afternoon, I can feel Riley on me all the time without even realizing I do. I'm just no good to be around right now Troy, at least not as I am currently."

"Whoa, hang on for a second, what are you saying Gabriella? Brie, please, we can work through this together," pleaded Troy, moving so he was now sitting right in front of her, giving her no choice but to look at him. "You don't have to shut me out like this. I know this is a lot to handle on both of our parts but I'm not ready to see you go, not like this."

"But this isn't fair to you Troy. Can you really look me in the eye right now and tell me you have no issue with how clingy I have been this past week? That you really aren't bothered when I flinch when you touch me, wake up screaming from naps, zoning out as I have? You can't tell me you aren't affected and look me in the eye, I've seen those hurt looks on your face Troy and I don't blame you at all for feeling that way, but at the same time, I can't help the way I am now. I wish that I could and I do plan on working on getting better while I'm gone, but it's not fair to keep you tied to me when I don't even know what's going to happen," said Gabriella. She reached out and placed the palms of her hands on both of Troy's cheeks. "I want you to be with me when I can offer you everything I have before, not when I can only offer you what little I have now. Right now, especially because I don't even know what my life will be like this summer, I think it would be best for you to keep your options open."

Troy bitterly shook his head. "So this is it then? You're giving me no say in the matter?"

Gabriella allowed a tear to roll down her cheek, letting it flow and drop down to her shirt. "I'm doing what I think is best for us Troy, what's best for you. It's bad enough I feel so unworthy to even be in your presence right now and we've had this same talk several times this week but I can't get over it, how you deserve better than some used girl like me."

"Listen to me, you aren't used, you aren't a slut, you aren't all those terrible things you keep saying you are," stated Troy, bending his head so he could see Gabriella's eyes that were now downcast. "You aren't, honestly."

"But I feel that way Troy, that's what I feel I am," replied Gabriella. "I just need this time to make myself whole again. I need to get away from a house full of bad memories."

"Also good memories too Brie," Troy gently reminded her. "Like our movie nights where you and I would watch a movie each of us picked out and share a huge bowl of popcorn, or the game nights we would have with your mom and Tessa or even the few times the whole group of our mismatched friends hung out there. Don't let Riley rob you of all those, please."

Gabriella nodded her understanding. "You're right, you always are. Look Troy, either way we end this, I'm leaving tomorrow for Copanvy. I promise I'll be in touch but I don't know what else will happen between today and when I return."

"So there are still plans of returning?" questioned Troy, hope in his voice.

Gabriella smiled at hearing this. "Yes, as far as I know we are. Just promise me Troy you'll keep your options open okay? We both have a lot to think about and work out in the next few months and I just don't want to hold you back."

Troy let out a heavy sigh. "All right, if this is what you need, I'll give you the space but I am not promising to date anyone else."

"Thank you," whispered Gabriella before she leaned in to share one last passionate kiss with the young man who occupied more of her heart than she ever thought possible.  
  
"Hello! Earth to Gaby!" yelled Tessa, waving her left hand in front of Gabriella's face for the fifth time. "Come back!" 

Gabriella blinked a few times as she refocused on her two best friends, who were now sitting on the bed beside her. "Sorry," apologized Gabriella. "Got stuck in the memory from yesterday."

"Hopefully it's a good memory. How did you leave things with Troy?" asked Tessa.

"We're giving each other space, well he's giving me the space I need while I have given him leeway as well. I don't want to tie him down while I deal with my issues, both those related to last week and the ones related to what I am, which is also why I am glad you came, both of you," said Gabriella, looking at Taylor and Tessa both in the eyes. "What I'm about to say to you is something I want to tell you as you are my best friends and I trust that you will use your discretion with the news I have for you. In fact, I'm asking you to please promise me you won't say anything of this to anyone."

"Promise," replied Taylor while Tessa nodded her head in agreement.

"Tessa, remember the time you found the tiara in my closet when you were trying to find me something to wear, I think it was for the Spring Fling?" asked Gabriella.

Tessa thought for a moment and nodded her head, Gabriella's true identity that she had pondered over for the last few weeks slowly starting to be confirmed in Tessa's mind. "Yes, you said it was from a previous Homecoming Court princess thing at some old school."

"Well, I sort of lied. I was a Homecoming Court princess but I got a stupid sash with the title and a small plastic crown. The tiara you held that day in your hands was a real tiara, with real jewels, made out of real metal," explained Gabriella, holding her breath as she saw both girls absorb this news in, Taylor becoming pale while Tessa beamed back at her.

"I KNEW IT!" exclaimed Tessa. "I knew there was something special about you as soon as Paul started hanging around you! I didn't think you were necessarily a princess though, that's so awesome! Did you find out when you disappeared those weeks ago? Is Paul your bodyguard?"

"Not exactly and yes, Paul is one of my bodyguards. Tay, you aren't mad at me are you?" questioned Gabriella, seeing that Taylor still was quiet on the matter.

Taylor immediately shook her head, color returning to her face. "How could I be mad at you for what you are Gabriella? You're a princess, not the devil incarnate. I'm just surprised is all because that was the last thing I expected you to say. Not that many royal families exist in today's times though."

Gabriella nodded her head in agreement. "You know your stuff Taylor. I belong to the royal family of Copanvy."

"If I remember right from Geography class, that's a small country located in Europe, right?" returned Taylor, Tessa staring at her best friend in shock.

"You are correct," replied Gabriella with a smile.

"How did you know that?" asked Tessa.

Taylor shrugged. "I pay attention to everything at school, just like you do, but I try to store more information long term because of the Scholastic Decathlon team."

Tessa rolled her eyes. "Leave it to Taylor to actually make me feel stupid," muttered Tessa before Taylor and Gabriella smiled at their friend.

"God, I am so going to miss you guys," stated Gabriella, giving each of them a watery smile.

"Hey now, no more tears! Especially on our account!" demanded Tessa. "You'll be back in three months and you have email and your cell phone or something like it to keep in touch. You aren't allowed to go underground this time or I will personally fly out there and kick your behind."

Gabriella genuinely laughed at Tessa, the first time in the last week either Taylor or Tessa had heard the sweet sound. "I wouldn't put it past you Tessa to actually do that either."

"You know it!" returned Tessa. "We will miss you too though, don't you worry. While you're gone though we'll keep an eye out on lover boy. If he steps one foot out of line, we'll be on his behind, promise."

"Be easy on him Tess, he's only going to be enjoying the space I gave him. Troy has a lot of things to deal with if he wants to still be with me at the end of these next few months so I expect he'll be thinking a lot, just like I will be. Part of the reason why I'm doing this is to fix myself. I hate seeing the hurt look on his face when I freak out at his touch and the concerned looks you guys exchange when I start crying or the moments we share where I just snap at you guys for no reason. That's not me and I need to get the help I need while dealing with who I am now," said Gabriella. "I don't understand how I can be fine like I am now and then at the smallest thing flip out as I have been and that worries me."

Gabriella moved her head towards her door when she heard a discreet cough and saw a smiling Paul there. "Gabriella, we have to get you going. Your parents sent me up to let you know you need to say good-bye to your friends and for us to start bringing down your bags."

She nodded her head in understanding as she stood up, looking at her best friends again. "I guess this is it then. I know you probably have so many more questions about things and I promise I will answer everything, especially for you Tessa as you always have an inquiring mind, but I guess that's it for now. Please don't treat me or judge me any differently for it."

Both girls shook their heads. "Never," replied Taylor, being the first to hug Gabriella tightly before Tessa did the same.

"No matter what you are, you will always be our girl," stated Tessa with a grin. "And hey, how many girls get to say their best friend is a true freaking authentic princess?"

Taylor laughed while Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Remember, this is between us."

"I know, I know," Tessa fake whined. "You never let me have any fun."

Gabriella slid the two remaining picture frames into her carry-on along with her personal items and then zipped up her bag, leaving the teddy bear to be carried with her in her arms.

"Troy's teddy bear? Even apart you are still all gushy," teased Tessa before getting hit lightly on the arm by Taylor.

"Thank you Taylor," said Gabriella before the three girls followed Paul and some of the other security team members downstairs, Gabriella being careful to not look to her left and leaving the house immediately, not allowing herself to linger downstairs. Before she got into the chauffeured sedan, Gabriella gave both of her best friends one last hug before sitting down next to her mother, who waved at the girls before Paul closed the door.

Tessa and Taylor watched as the sedan drove off, both lost in their own thoughts of what they had just learned about their best friend, neither of them seeing Troy, who had watched everything half way down the street, a few tears escaping his own eyes as the sedan disappeared from view.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Tessa drove her car up to the iron gates of the address Gabriella had given her earlier that morning and felt her mouth drop taking in the new Montez household, which was a mansion that sat on top of a hill. Taylor felt her jaw drop as well as she took in the splendor that Gabriella was now living in, as well as the high security. The two best friends shared a look before Tessa pulled up to the guard's station. "Hi, I'm Tessa Grainger and this is Taylor McKessie. We are here to see, umm… Gabriella Montez, I think that's what she goes by still."

The guard nodded his head and checked the computer that sat in front of him, seeing their names registered on the computer's database for approved visitors. "Can I see your IDs please?" asked the guard.

Taylor gave Tessa a questioning look, who shrugged in return as both pulled out their driver's licenses before handing it over to the guard, who scanned it and then handed them back. "Go on in ladies," instructed the guard before he opened the gates.

Once the gates were fully opened, Tessa slowly drove up the driveway and parked, becoming more in awe of Gabriella's new digs as Taylor and Tessa both got out of the car and walked to the large front door of the mansion. Before they could ring the doorbell, they heard an electrical sound and looked up to the top right corner above the door and saw a surveillance camera before the front door opened, a middle aged butler standing there. "Miss McKessie, Miss Grainger, the princess is waiting for you in the brown living room. Follow me please," invited the butler, leading the two girls down the hall.

When he brought the two girls into view of the living room, both Tessa and Taylor grinned as they saw an ecstatic Gabriella running towards them, throwing her arms around both of them at the same time. "Tessa! Taylor! My God it's been too long!" exclaimed Gabriella, squeezing both of them tightly. "I know, I know, as my mom keeps telling me, it's only been three months or so but it seems longer! How have you been?"

Gabriella took a step back and led the other two over to a set of couches and chairs, Gabriella sitting in a love seat while the other two carefully sat on the longer of the other two couches. "We're just the same as the last time we spoke on the phone this morning," assured Tessa, making Gabriella blush.

"That's right, I'm sorry. I'm just so excited to see both of you," returned Gabriella, who noticed that Taylor and Tessa were both occupied by looking around the large room. "I know, it's a big difference from our last home here in Albuquerque but I couldn't convince my parents otherwise. I think it's obnoxious."

"I wouldn't say obnoxious, just extravagant," murmured Taylor, who saw the crystal chandelier above their heads. "What's with the big change? Are you all outted as the royal family now of Copanvy or what?"

"Not so much that but security, at least the way my dad explains it," returned Gabriella. "They did try to figure out a house for us to live in here that would give them ample ability to set up the security they wanted but couldn't as all the homes are close together. They felt this way would be safer and to be honest, I'd rather feel safer with all the security right now."

Tessa looked back at her best friend who had been gone all summer, reminded again of why Gabriella left early in the first place at this admittance. "So you're still bothered by what happened before you left huh? You seem happier though, which is a really big and positive change from the last time we saw you."

Gabriella sadly nodded her head. "I still have nightmares but the flashbacks randomly happening while I'm awake have almost disappeared and I have methods of dealing with them now too that work at least some times. The psychologist my grandmother found for me is actually really good. I resisted for the first couple of weeks but then I realized how much help she was really giving me. Emma actually traveled with us to be my own on call psychologist. Now if that doesn't say I'm still a major head case, I don't know what does."

"Don't say that Gab, that doesn't mean anything at all. I'm just happy you are in a situation where your family can help in those ways," responded Taylor. "And as for this mansion you now live in, I don't think it makes a bit of difference as to who you are because you are still our best friend and I would actually agree with the reasons your parents had for security."

Tessa nodded her agreement. "Especially with Riley's supporters lurking around still. It got quieter as the summer went on, but I think it was definitely a great call for you to have left when you did. Had you not, I think they may have acted on his behalf because they are that much a bunch of idiots."

Gabriella returned Tessa's gaze with a sad one. "So there was still trouble after I left then? How come you didn't mention it when we talked?"

"Because I didn't want to worry you, neither Tay or I did. Nothing happened out of it but it was clear then and probably now there are people who feel Riley was unjustly arrested and held. They don't know the truth though of what happened Gaby, just as they don't know who you are. So how did you live in the palace in Copanvy if your grandparents didn't have any type of public recognition of you and your mother?" asked Tessa, voicing a question she has had in her mind for all those months.

"People just assumed we were guests. No one dares to question the royal family and we are a small country, not likely to get the world's attention anyway," replied Gabriella. "That much I am grateful for. Grandmother said though that there will probably be some sort of official ceremony of such when we return, whenever that may be in the future. With the state I was in for most of the summer though, she and Grandfather didn't want to risk scandal."

Taylor just shook her head at this. "That's a sad comment on living in the public's eye if your grandparents, royals or not, felt they had to hide you because you were dealing with something very real and terrible like you have been," stated Taylor. "Before you even ask, I am not at all ashamed to be known as your best friend."

"And neither am I, that is as long as the princess isn't ashamed of us," teased Tessa, earning a grin from Gabriella while she rolled her eyes. "Just had to check!"

"As if that would really change you two," returned Gabriella. "So Taylor, are you going to take on Tessa's role of being my champion at East High this year?"

Taylor nodded her head. "We will, at least I will try to fill her shoes but I can't promise as Tessa does have a way of doing everything in an elaborate manner."

"Hey!" protested Tessa while she playfully swatted at Taylor's arm before she sobered a bit. "So you really are going to try going to a normal school like East huh? I figured if you did that you wouldn't be going back to West. In fact, sometimes I wish I could get out of West myself but then who would there be to spy for you?"

"Have you been given trouble for being associated with me?" asked Gabriella, evident concern in her voice.

Tessa shook her head. "No, maybe snide comments here and there but since you've been gone, most people have kind of let it slide. The gossip mill still moves during the summer but not with the same amount of speed."

"Speaking of gossip mill, I met the most extraordinary brother and sister twins yesterday as they and their parents came over to introduce themselves to us. They share the property line to the east of us. Evans I think was their family name," stated Gabriella, thinking back to the meeting with the two blondes and their family.

"Oh God, Sharpay and Ryan Evans?" asked Taylor, shocked that those two were Gabriella's neighbors yet not really. "They are _the_ drama king and queen of East. Were they all snotty with you?"

Gabriella immediately denied this. "Not at all. Ryan was actually pretty sweet and his sister, Sharpay, she seemed a bit dramatic and gossipy but not horrible."

Tessa rolled her eyes. "Of course she wouldn't as she sees you as in her league, even not knowing you are true royalty. I may not go to East but I am well aware of Sharpay's tendencies."

"Is she really that bad?" asked Gabriella, not sure if she liked having someone like that in her life right now.

"Well, here's another tidbit for you. She's had her eye on Troy Bolton since we were all in junior high," replied Taylor, careful not to say too much.

For some reason, this news stopped Gabriella's mind cold while her heart clenched a little. Gabriella closed her eyes and breathed in and out a few times before she reopened them to see Tessa and Taylor both looking at her out of concern. "I'm fine, really."

"Have you talked to him?" Taylor asked in a quiet voice. "I mean, like really talked to him this summer?"

Gabriella thought back to the first few weeks where there had been constant communication, which eventually faded to an email or two a week by the end of Gabriella's stay there. "I have but to be honest, we've lost touch. I didn't even tell him I was coming back this past week," informed Gabriella. "Maybe this break was really what we needed, it saved me further hurt in the future."

Tessa shot Taylor a look before she said, "Well, remember how we promised we would keep an eye on Troy this summer? We did and we actually have been seeing him around with a girl this summer at like hang out spots, like the mall and stuff."

The news made Gabriella pale a bit more, having surprised her a little bit but not by much. 'I gave him his space, I didn't expect him to stay true to his claim of not seeing anyone while I was away, did I?'

"Gab, are you all right?" questioned Taylor, worried as to how Gabriella was really taking this.

Gabriella swallowed and took in a deep breath before nodding her head. "Yes, I'm fine. Things happen for a reason, right?"

Tessa shook her head. "I'm just glad to see our strong girl is back. Besides, there is still a large pool of fish to fish from. Zeke is at East," offered Tessa.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "As if I would move in on your guy. I know you've been flirting with him all summer without me here."

Tessa threw Taylor a death look. "You told her?"

"Hey, I didn't say anything," defended Taylor. "She does have eyes and ears though."

Gabriella nodded her head. "Exactly. Hooking up at the frat party was just the beginning for you two. I wouldn't be surprised if Zeke made it official soon and I sort of pity him when that happens."

"Would you two just grow up?" demanded Tessa, flush in the face.

Taylor and Gabriella both giggled. "Not so easy when the shoe is on the foot now is it Tess?" teased Taylor.

"Hey, you're the one that's secretly crushing on a certain basketball player with wild hair," accused Tessa.

"WHAT? Me and Chad Danforth? No way!" exclaimed Taylor. "He's a lunkhead basketball man, totally not my type."

"But opposites attract, you know that Ms. Scholastic Decathlon," countered Tessa.

"All right, all right! Both of you, back in your corners," stated Gabriella, a wide smile on her face. "It's clear both of you have actually been snared by East boys. We'll just have to work on that, all right?"

"Work on that? Oh no way!" exclaimed Taylor.

"Yeah, just because you have recently been bitten by love's arrow does not mean we all do too. Besides, I don't like interference in my love life," said Tessa.

"Right, so you mean to tell me what you did to me by calling Troy all those times and texting him posing as me in the winter and spring are all actions you would never hope would happen to you?" questioned Gabriella, looking Tessa in the eye with a raised eyebrow.

Tessa gulped, remembering all those times she did definitely get involved in getting the two together. "All right, all right, I surrender, but we aren't doing anything drastic. I never embarrassed you!"

Taylor laughed at this. "I actually can say that you did embarrass Gab, at least a little at some points. I mean, the time we would sometimes hang out with Troy, Chad, Jason, and Zeke and your not so subtle ways of pushing Gabriella in Troy's direction so he would catch her. Not so non-direct there."

"Thank you Taylor," replied Gabriella. "All I'm saying is that if the time is right, I'm so hooking it up!"

Tessa stayed silent for a few moments, absorbing what had just happened. "Fine, if that is the price I have to pay for having our best friend back, then so be it. And, umm, since when did you use Tessa terminology?"

Taylor and Gabriella looked at each other and then at Tessa before all three started laughing, giggling so much that Annette and Stephen had to pop their heads in the room to see what was going on.

"Now that's a sight that I'd pay to see every day," murmured Stephen, a grin on his face as he watched his daughter enjoy herself with true abandonment.

Annette nodded her head in agreement. "Those three girls are so close in so little time, it really is like they were meant to be together, kindred spirits as Gabriella terms them. You do know that whenever we make the move to Copanvy permanent that you are going to have to make active efforts to invite those girls to spend time with Gabriella right? You can see in just a short amount of time what an improvement they have on our daughter's life."

"I have no problem inviting Gabriella's friends out and hosting them. I'm just so happy to see her like she is right now, a picture of the happy little girl I used to know all those years ago before everything started to change again, an image of what I imagine she was like before that bastard of a boy took away her innocence. My hope is that we can get this trial over and done with quickly with as little attention as possible," revealed Stephen. "If not, Gabriella is going to have a whole different set of issues and problems to deal with that I'd rather not add to her tiny shoulders right now."

Annette placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, making him look back into his wife's eyes. "Gabriella is much stronger than you give her credit for Stephen. She will fight through and be a true survivor. It's in her blood."

"That I would have to agree with. After all, she has you for a mother," replied Stephen before he leaned in and kissed Annette.

Gabriella saw her parents kissing in the entryway and rolled her eyes without losing the smile on her face. Tessa and Taylor saw this and turned their attention to the entryway to see what had Gabriella's attention as both giggled again, alerting Stephen and Annette that they had an audience.

"All right, show is over girls," announced Stephen with a grin.

"What are you girls doing today?" asked Annette.

Taylor and Tessa looked at each other before they looked to Gabriella. "Have you settled into your bedroom, unpacked everything?" questioned Tessa.

"Yup, everything is settled in," replied Gabriella.

"Then there's nothing to do then but go and have some fun out on the town!" exclaimed Tessa, a grin forming across her face. "I say we start at miniature golf and then dinner at the pizza place that you like so much Gabriella."

"But that's populated quite a bit by a lot of the high school kids from both schools," protested Gabriella. "I don't know if I'm ready for it to be known that I'm back and besides, what happened to the whole caution of being seen in public with mixed friends?"

Taylor shrugged. "Rivalry has calmed down during the summer without Riley around causing all his usual trouble. Besides, it's summer so not all the kids are around as much and even if they do see all three of us, I think Tessa and I have taken a page from your book and have decided to fly in the face of danger a bit. We're not going to let anyone dictate who we are friends with, not anymore at least."

Tessa nodded her agreement. "Exactly! If they have a problem, let them spit hatred about it. What they think will never alter how we feel about each other, right Gaby?"

Gabriella bit her lip a little, a habit she still had after all the time away, before she expressed her agreement. "All right, I guess I have no choice but to agree after you put it that way."

"Paul and Curtis are coming with you Gabriella, remember our agreement," added Stephen, seeing the three girls stand up.

"Paul is cool. Who is Curtis though?" asked Tessa.

"My other bodyguard who is going to be an undercover student with Paul at East," explained Gabriella. "New additional security. If you ask me, it makes me stand out more but it does make my parents happier."

"Exactly, now please humor me on this," stated Stephen, feeling a squeeze of his hand from his wife, who was silently telling him to go easy.

"Can't they tail us or something?" pleaded Gabriella. "It's my first time back out in Albuquerque and I really don't want to cause a gossip storm and stick out. Please?"

Before Stephen could say anything Annette piped up. "Sure, we'll have a team follow you instead. I agree, it's more discreet that way. I don't think Paul is available anyway tonight, might be his night off."

Gabriella grinned at her mother. "Thank you!"

After informing the security team of four men who were dressed in normal clothing and who were older looking than Paul, the three girls piled into Tessa's car and started their day of bonding, Tessa having to adjust herself to having a constant car following her every move. 'This is definitely going to take some getting used to,' thought Tessa as she got on the freeway and drove the group to the best mini golf course in Albuquerque.

- - -

The three girls were laughing as they entered the pizza place and grabbed a booth in the corner, making sure there was an empty table close by for the security team. Gabriella settled into the inside of one side of the booth while Tessa sat next to her, Taylor on the other side of the booth. As she closed her eyes, Gabriella breathed in the deep scent that was uniquely freshly baked pizza. "Mmm, smells delicious," murmured Gabriella, earning giggles from Tessa and Taylor. Gabriella opened her eyes and stuck her tongue out a bit. "Hey, you guys would appreciate just the smell too if you didn't have decent pizza all summer!"

"True," agreed both girls at the same time before the three started talking about what type of pizza to order before the waiter came over.

"Hi, I'm Scott and I'll be your waiter tonight. What can I get you lovely ladies?" asked the tall red head.

"I'll have a Diet Coke," said Tessa.

"Water for me," ordered Taylor.

"And for you beautiful?" asked Scott.

Gabriella blushed as she realized he was talking to her. "Umm, Cherry Coke please."

Scott wrote down the order and smiled back at her. "Do you know what you want?"

Tessa and Taylor smiled as they saw Scott's attention was fully on their friend. "I think we decided on the extra large deep crust pizza with double pepperoni and, against two of our better judgments, anchovies on a third of that please. Also, light on the sauce."

Scott nodded and looked at the other two. "All right, who is the fish lover?"

Tessa scrunched up her nose and immediately pointed at Taylor, who looked back at her. "What? So I like the saltiness to the pizza? Geez!"

Scott chuckled before he left the table to get their drinks.

"Gaby, he was so checking you out!" squealed Tessa. "Not to mention openly flirting! Dang it, how do you get all the luck?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes but found herself putting on a smile as Scott came back and distributed their drinks, giving Gabriella a sly wink before leaving the table.

"And he keeps going," added Taylor. "He's totally a college guy too!"

The three girls fell into another round of teasing that went on for a few minutes before they just started talking about their summers, well mostly Tessa and Taylor as Gabriella still felt uncomfortable talking in public about where she had been. It wasn't until their pizza came that Tessa noticed the presence of part of East High's basketball team, mainly Troy, Chad, Zeke, Jason, a few other boys, and the same girl they had seen Troy with all summer, the brunette.

Taylor saw the change of expression on Tessa's face when she looked up to see why Tessa wasn't attacking the pizza first, which the other girl usually did. Curious, Taylor looked in the general direction Tessa seemed to be staring at to see that the same group Tessa had spotted at a long table in the opposite corner. Taylor shot a worried look towards Gabriella, who was obliviously eating her pizza, enjoying the taste of the cheesy, greasy, pepperoni goodness that she had missed for three months.

After realizing that they hadn't been spotted, Taylor shrugged her shoulders and began eating, Tessa soon joining after assessing the situation a little longer. The conversation between the girls picked back up between bites, Taylor and Tessa soon forgetting that there was a reason to be concerned that a certain group of East High friends were in the same room as them, just ordering their pizza.

At the long table, after rolling his eyes at Jason's obnoxiously loud burp, Chad started scanning the room to people watch, still a hobby of his. He looked over Troy's head, which was turned a little to talk to Amy who was telling him joke or something, to see who else was there. It was still the summer so it wasn't totally packed like it usually was on a Friday night but there were still some people he recognized as going to East or West or some other high school in the area. His gaze landed on a booth across the way as he saw the profile of a girl he knew well at West as well as the Scholastic Decathlon captain at East. He nudged Zeke who was sitting next to him. "Hey, your girl is over there in the corner with Taylor," murmured Chad, chuckling as a light blush appeared on Zeke's cheeks.

"Man, why do you always have to rib me about her?" asked Zeke, finding himself unable to take his eyes off Tessa's profile as she laughed at something Taylor said.

"Because, I love seeing the color in your cheeks. Besides, you never did bake me those chocolate brownies you promised," replied Chad.

Zeke's baking abilities had become evident to the group of friends when Zeke got a summer job at a bakery, claiming it was the only one he could get before they all figured out that he had turned down the summer camp job that the rest of them worked at. To get even, Chad, Troy, and Jason had surprised Zeke at the bakery to see him skillfully putting the finishing touches to some fancy pastry, dropping it on the floor when he spotted his three friends standing there on the other side of the counter. They had teased him about it until they each tried something Zeke made by himself, all three of them shutting up as they knew that this was true talent and they now had a source for free sugary goodness.

"Maybe if you behave tonight, for once, I will," returned Zeke. His eyes narrowed a little as he saw a red haired guy approach the booth and give the girls a smile, handing a piece of paper over to someone else who must have been sitting with the two girls as his arm went right past Tessa before he wrote something down on his order pad. A round of giggles reached their table, making Zeke smile a little as he was able to identify Tessa's out of the mixture.

"Whoa, I wonder what it was he gave them that was worthy of that," said Chad, starting to get up.

Zeke quickly planted a hand on his friend's arm and sat him down. "No, you are so not going over there right now dude."

"Why not?" asked Chad.

Zeke gave him a "duh" look. "They are clearly having a good time. Why ruin it with our stupid fumblings of words that we so often get lately around both Tessa and Taylor?"

"So you admit it! You like Tessa!" accused Chad.

"Just as much as you like Taylor!" countered Zeke.

"Boys! What are you two arguing about now?" interrupted Troy, looking between his two best friends.

Chad and Zeke exchanged a look before they both replied, "Nothing!"

Amy giggled. "And why do I not believe that?"

"Because you have real brains," replied Troy with a smile. He got a bit bored with the conversations going around him after some time so Troy looked around the room behind him, his gaze landing on Gabriella's two best friends, who he had seen a few times throughout the summer. Troy had kept his distance from them after some time when he felt this curious feeling they no longer harbored good feelings towards him for some reason. He had spent some weeks wondering if Gabriella had given up on him, judging on their behavior, and eventually chalked it up to probably being the truth. Troy watched as their waiter came back over with the pizza place's famous large cookie for dessert with three bowls of vanilla ice cream. 'I wonder who they are eating with,' he thought to himself before their waitress brought their pizzas over.

Back at the corner booth, the girls had just finished their big dessert, somewhat being disgusted with themselves that they managed to eat all the food they had ordered while being happily full. Scott had brought their bill and Gabriella slipped him her credit card before either Tessa or Taylor could protest.

"Hey, just because you are you doesn't mean you get to treat us to everything," argued Tessa.

Gabriella shrugged. "So I wanted to treat for dinner? Before you guys never had a problem with it," pointed out Gabriella.

"That was very rarely and you treated us to mini golf too," returned Taylor.

"And I paid for my little team's mini golf too just to keep them occupied so we could feel a little less awkward having two of them golf in front and behind us," replied Gabriella. "I just wanted to treat today, a celebration of being back and as a thank you for putting up with me and all my nonsense that is my life."

"If you are talking about these new things, like being tailed and watched, it's not so bad," replied Tessa. "Actually, one of them is pretty sexy but I swear if you tell him I said that I will murder you, princess or not."

Gabriella and Taylor burst out laughing. "Figures you would say that but no, I also meant with the mess I was before I left Albuquerque and the mess I still am at times now. I know today I'm all smiles and I feel really happy with you guys, don't get me wrong, but I am still struggling with my own issues, which is probably why I will not be using this number Scott so kindly gave me," said Gabriella, waving the small piece of paper he had given her earlier.

"Keep it though. You will feel comfortable talking to guys you don't know again eventually and when you do, he's a good candidate to start with," encouraged Tessa just before Scott came back with Gabriella's credit card and copies of the bill to sign.

"Thank you Miss Montez," said Scott. "I hope to see you, all of you, in here again soon if nothing else."

Gabriella did her best to smile back before Scott left, leaving Taylor and Tessa in giggles again as Gabriella left a generous tip for him having to deal with their long time in the booth before putting everything away. The lead of the security team looked over at her and she nodded, signaling they were leaving. Tessa scooted out first to allow Gabriella to get out while Taylor got up too.

Tessa and Taylor started walking out only to realize that Gabriella wasn't beside them. They looked back and saw that Gabriella was staring at the long table where the boys were sitting at, where Troy was currently talking to the brunette again, a grin on his face. Both girls rushed back to where Gabriella was standing and hooked their hands through both of Gabriella's elbows, forcing her to walk with them out, two of the security team walking casually behind them.

Zeke had by chance looked up just as Tessa had left the pizza joint with her two other friends with her. He did a double take as he saw the dark haired girl between Taylor and Tessa. 'Could that be? Is Gabriella back in town?' wondered Zeke, turning his head to watch the girls walk down the sidewalk through the window and around the corner. Zeke blinked a few times before looking back at Chad, who was giving him a curious look.

"What is it?" asked Chad.

"Oh, just Tessa and Taylor leaving with their friend. I could have sworn that it looked like Gabriella," stated Zeke.

Chad paused mid-bite before swallowing it. "Gabriella? No way, that's impossible. Troy would have known if she came back to Albuquerque from her family's vacation, right?"

Zeke and Chad both looked at Troy, who was intently listening to something Jason and Amy were talking about. "I don't know, would he?" questioned Zeke, wondering about the real state of affairs between Troy and Gabriella.

Chad pondered this too for a few moments before shrugging. "Dude, he totally would have. Maybe it was a look alike or something. It couldn't have been Gab, Troy would have been talking about it for ages."

"What would I have been talking about?" asked Troy, hearing the tail end of Chad's sentence.

Zeke shot Chad a look before Chad cleared his throat. "Oh, just that you would have known if we had pre-season practice yet. Coach say anything?"

Troy rolled his eyes. "No, not yet. You know I would have told you by now, give me some credit here. Not a rookie captain anymore!"

"True," agreed Zeke, glad Chad's save worked.

The two continued conversing with Troy over basketball, Jason and the other guys jumping in until all the food was eaten and the bill paid, leaving the group of friends to all go their separate ways into the night.


	20. Chapter 20

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or places created by the High School Musical franchise or by Disney!_

Chapter 20

Troy walked into the too familiar halls of East High the following Monday, the first day back to school. 'Stupid starting school two weeks early,' thought Troy as he wiped his eyes to clear some lingering morning stuff out as he literally had tossed on a clean shirt and a pair of jeans before making it out of the house in his truck that his dad and he rebuilt over the summer. He had woken up late, sped all the way there, and was now ten minutes early before the warning bell rang. 'At least I'm a senior this year, which means that we get to skip out on a week's worth of school at the end of the year. Yeah, like that matters right now when I'd much rather be sleeping.'

He made his way to his locker on autopilot, automatically smiling and waving at people as they shouted out greetings to him or waved. Troy saw new faces every once in a while, chalking it up to new freshman and maybe sophomores too he didn't know. When he finally made it to his locker, he opened it up and piled in the different notebooks his mom made him prepare for this semester's classes before pulling out three again for his next three periods. No books yet as the teachers were going to give them out today. It wasn't until he closed his locker that he started hearing the whispers of the current gossip. 'God, I pity the subject of that talk on the first day of school already,' thought Troy before walking down towards Darbus' homeroom while keeping an open ear to the talk.

"Can you believe it? She's actually here at East now!"

"Didn't she date that basketball captain at West before?"

"I heard she's a huge slut and got in trouble by giving the entire basketball team STDs!"

"She looks so sweet though."

"I heard the new girl got kicked out of West for leading a gang and killing someone."

"I heard she was expelled for smoking and drinking at their junior prom."

"She looks like the type of new girl who is going to come in and steal our boys away from us. Another popular wannabe."

"Her outfit is so last year!"

"I heard she's a real brainiac."

"Is it true she used to date our Troy?"

"Isn't she the girl that started the fight at the masquerade ball?"

"Did you hear? Gabriella Montez just transferred to East High!"

That final tidbit set off alarm bells in Troy's head as he whipped around to see a junior girl talking to some of her friends. He looked around and didn't see a hint of the dark brown hair he was searching for in the now crowded hall. 'Gabriella is back in Albuquerque and she's here at East now?' he wondered, picking up his pace to his homeroom but keeping his eyes open for her.

Just as he approached the classroom that Ms. Darbus always had for homeroom, which he would know because she had been his homeroom teacher since freshman year, Troy was rewarded for all his searching as he saw Gabriella standing against a wall in the hallway, talking to Taylor, her back mostly to him. He quickly approached, nervousness filling his body as he got closer. When Troy got close enough, he gently put a hand on Gabriella's shoulder, which made her jump and scream, spinning around at the same time. Taylor, having not noticed Troy's advancement looked worriedly at him, the looks vanishing for the most part as soon as she saw it was him.

Troy noticed Gabriella shake her head at someone behind him so Troy turned, seeing Paul and some other young looking guy with blonde hair with him, standing some distance away. He turned his attention back on the girl he had been wondering if he would ever see again. "Gabriella, I didn't know you were back let alone coming to East. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Umm, hi Troy," greeted Gabriella, not really looking him in the eye. "I was just so busy settling in, I guess I kind of failed to call you. I figured you were busy with your summer and any new additions you have in your life now that I didn't want to bother you."

"New additions?" asked Troy, confusion in his voice.

'Oh God, he's going to play it like he hasn't been seen with the same brunette all summer,' thought Taylor.

"GABRIELLA!" squealed a high-pitched voice that Troy instantly recognized as Sharpay Evans. "You actually are here and in my homeroom! Fabulous!"

Sharpay immediately came up and grabbed Gabriella's arm to escort her inside, Ryan Evans following in their wake, before Troy or Taylor could protest. Troy shot Taylor a questioning look before Taylor just shrugged, not really knowing what to say.

The warning bell rang so Troy and Taylor made their way into the homeroom, both of them watching as the blonde girl relinquished hold of Gabriella's attention so that Gabriella, Paul, and the other blonde could find their names on the seating chart that Ms. Darbus had planned out ahead of time. Gabriella smiled as she saw she was sitting next to Taylor, even if she was still between both Paul and Curtis who had seats in front and behind her. 'I wonder if Dad prepped the school on my situation,' thought Gabriella before she absently took her seat, shrugging apologetically on the way to Sharpay, who looked distressed that she wasn't sitting next to her new friend.

Troy took the same seat he had last year assigned to him and twisted around in his seat so he could watch as Gabriella picked up talking to Taylor again, both girls huddled together, giving him a clue that they must be talking about him as he saw Taylor glance quickly over her shoulder in his direction. 'How could she not have called or emailed to tell me she was back and that she was starting at East? Were my assumptions about her moving on correct over this summer? And what new additions?' wondered Troy. 'And the way she reacted to me, the panic in her eyes. Was that because it was me or was it because she got a flashback? Is she still having those? Is she even better?'

After walking into the room himself and finding his spot back behind Troy, Chad took a quick seat in his assigned desk. "Hey dude, what's up," greeted Chad, not really realizing until there was complete silence from his best friend that he didn't have Troy's attention. Chad looked back at Troy and saw he was absently looking at something. He turned his head and saw the cause immediately as he spotted Gabriella Montez, in the flesh, sitting in their homeroom talking to Taylor. 'Oh crap…'

The bell to start their first day as seniors rang and Ms. Darbus got up from her desk to stand in front of everyone. "Welcome back my young students! Hopefully you all had a wonderful summer full of learning and expressing yourselves! Mr. Bolton, do you have something you'd like to share with the class? You seem to be deep in thought and not looking towards the front of the class," said Ms. Darbus, staring at the brown haired boy.

Chad discreetly poked Troy in the side, startling Troy to attention. "I'm sorry, what?"

Ms. Darbus just shook her head. "I see that some of you are still adjusting to being back to school. I will let your lack of attention slide for today Mr. Bolton but do not let it happen again," stated Ms. Darbus before she started in on announcements.

She finished a few minutes earlier than the scheduled bell so she left them free to talk while she took attendance.

"Dude, you need to snap out of it," commanded Chad as he saw Troy spacing out again, looking in the direction of Gabriella. "Troy!"

"Huh? Sorry Chad, I just can't believe she is here and she didn't tell me," explained Troy, looking back at Chad.

Chad stared back at his best friend and saw the hurt in those blue eyes. "She didn't at all?"

Troy shook his head. "I had absolutely no clue until I started hearing stupid rumors flying around about her already. I guess her reputation has proceeded her arrival here or something. No one seems to know the real truth, guess it helped that the media hasn't revealed our identities in this whole upcoming trial and in reports of the incident those months ago."

"I thought you were still hoping to rekindle things," responded Chad. "Why does it seem like I may be closer to the girl than you then?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," returned Troy, still confused by the events of this morning. 'Could this all be a dream?'

The bell rang, interrupting any further conversation at their desks. Troy walked out of the room with Chad but stopped right outside the door as he waited for Gabriella to come out. "Gabriella!" he called out as he saw her cross the threshold with Taylor.

Gabriella turned to look at Troy, uncertainty in her brown eyes. "Hey," she returned, continuing to walk on with Taylor, the two guys close behind them.

Seeing that Gabriella didn't really want to talk to him, Troy decided to follow her a ways once he realized she was going in the same direction he needed to go anyway for his next class. The four stopped at a locker that he figured out was Gabriella's as she opened it and put stuff in and pulled stuff out before closing it again and following Taylor's lead to their next class, which was in the science wing but not in the same classroom as Troy's next science class. 'Damn,' thought Troy as he picked up his pace and made it into the classroom just as the bell rang.

He took his assigned seat according to the diagram on the first seat and sat down, noting none of his friends were in this one. 'Oh well, guess it forces me to concentrate, right? But what really is going on with Brie?' wondered Troy as he forced himself to start listening to the teacher's welcome.

- - -

It was lunchtime and Gabriella had told Taylor she would find her in the cafeteria after she changed out her notebooks and grabbed her lunch that her mother had packed that morning, even when the cook protested against it. Gabriella smiled as she remembered the way her mother looked at her that morning, with such love that Gabriella knew today would be all right in the end. When she finally got the combination correct to open her locker, a slip of paper fell out and onto the floor. She picked it up thinking it was from Taylor when in fact it was from Troy.

_Please meet me up on the rooftop, my own private spot at lunch. I think we really need to talk, even if it is good-bye. Go down towards the water fountain at the end of the hall, take a right and then a left, it's the unmarked door on your right. Troy  
_  
Gabriella let out a little sigh, ready to ignore it until she noticed a single wet spot on the paper. 'Was he crying when he wrote this? No, he probably just got something on it,' thought Gabriella, although she truly wasn't sure. She decided to follow his instructions but only after texting Taylor to let her know what's up. When Gabriella found the door, she opened it and realized that Paul and Curtis were following her up the stairs.

"Guys, can you give me some privacy here?" asked Gabriella.

"We will once we find out what's up here. We can't be too careful princess," replied Curtis, who refused to call her by her given name unless they were around other people.

Gabriella let out a sigh as she continued up the stairs, Paul ahead of her, signaling it was okay for her to continue the finals steps after he surveyed the area and saw only Troy up there. Paul and Curtis then disappeared from sight, a soft click echoing up the stairwell as they now stood back down in the hallway.

"Should I guess at the fact that you now have two bodyguards?" asked Troy, breaking the silence.

Gabriella nodded her head while she looked around at Troy's spot. "I didn't realize you had such a green thumb. All these plants and flowers, they're beautiful," commented Gabriella, walking over to an orchid and smelling it before turning her attention to the view from the open railing.

"I can't take credit for this. The Science Club does their thing up here and I kind of just stumbled upon it sometime sophomore year. No one else comes up here except for them and that's after school usually," replied Troy.

After neither of them spoke for a few moments, Troy having difficulty in getting Gabriella to even look at him, he decided to be the first to speak. "When were you going to tell me you came back? Or were you ever planning to?"

Gabriella turned around at this, her heart twisting at the hurt tone in his voice. She allowed herself to finally look into his eyes, those beautiful blue eyes of his that she had missed so much over the summer. "I was planning on it but then we lost touch with each other towards the end there. I didn't know where we stood Troy. I thought you maybe could have moved on, which it looks like you did, and I didn't want to be coming back assuming that we could pick up where we left off. I'm not the same Gabriella I was before I left but I'm not as bad as I was either. Plus on top of that, after all that time to think, I thought the drop off in talking to me was a result of you being uncomfortable with who I am."

Troy immediately shook his head. "It dropped off because I started working two jobs after only a few weeks of working at the summer camp teaching basketball to kids. I started working at night at a small market bagging groceries to earn some extra money. Yes I did give thought to what you are and it does still intimidate me, but I accept what you are because I know who you are and I'm still very much in love with you Brie," confessed Troy.

Confusion became written clearly across Gabriella's face as she absorbed his words. "But what about the brunette you were with last Friday night? Taylor and Tessa thought you were dating her," countered Gabriella.

Troy sat back for a few moments, shocked that he had been at the same place as Gabriella without realizing it while trying to also figure out what girl she could be referring to. "A brunette? Oh, Amy Bolton! Amy is my cousin who was around this summer. She's actually starting University of Albuquerque this semester and was living with us so she could get acclimated. Her family actually lives in Arizona. No, I didn't date anyone, I told you I wouldn't Brie."

"But I gave you the option Troy so I wouldn't be upset if you did," returned Gabriella, inwardly relieved though to hear that the girl her best friends had spotted was just a cousin.

"Yet I didn't use it, you can ask Chad or Zeke or J, they'll back me up and not just because they are my guys. Is that why Tessa and Taylor started going all cold shoulderish to me?" asked Troy, everything starting to make sense.

Gabriella shrugged. "Honestly, most likely it was but I can't be sure because they didn't really say much to me, even after they said what they did to me about who they thought your cousin was after we saw you at the pizzeria Friday night."

There was a buzzing sound and Gabriella pulled her cell phone out, a different one than the one Troy last saw her with before the summer. She rolled her eyes as she texted Taylor back to let her know she was fine before she slipped it back in her pocket. "Sorry," apologized Gabriella.

"It's okay. Well with that behind us, how are you?" asked Troy, patting the empty spot on the bench next to him.

Gabriella walked over and put her lunch down on the ground before sitting in the indicated spot. She looked off into the distance for a few moments while Troy bit into his sandwich while looking at her before she spoke. "In actuality, I'm doing much better. Fine is a word I've learned is relative so I don't really use that much now. Do I have the sudden emotional episodes still? No, but I do still have nightmares every once in a while but I'm learning to master all these after effects. Do I still consciously think about Riley and what he did? Yes, but I limit myself because I've learned it isn't worth living in the past, not when it hurts so much to do so. Before you say I'm strong, I'm really not. I now have a personal therapist who has been helping me through things for most of the summer who is here as an on call for me but I still do have scheduled weekly sessions. Have I adjusted to royal life? No, and that's mainly because I was never really in the public light, I was never introduced because of my sorry state. My parents and grandparents cared for me the best way they knew how, especially my parents, but most of my recovery was me. And I am not sure why I'm confessing this to you but I never let that teddy bear you gave me go when I struggled to reign in my fears and the nightmares. Call me a little kid but it gave me a sense of safety that I needed, something similar to what you came to represent to me during those darker moments."

Troy developed a silly grin on his face after hearing this news. "I don't think it's childish at all. I think it is really sweet and it tells me that we most likely won't be saying good-bye after this talk after all," responded Troy. "You probably should start eating, we are now half-way through lunch."

Gabriella gave him a grateful smile, despite the blush on her cheeks, for letting her know while picking up her bagged lunch and pulling out some grapes to eat. "So the silly grin means you still want to call me girlfriend huh?" teased Gabriella, instantly finding herself able to relax with Troy again.

"Only because I know you have searched the earth for a better guy and have failed so you are now settling for me," countered Troy, a bigger grin forming on his face, his hopes silently rising. "Can we pick up from where we left off?"

She started in on her sandwich, giving it some thought. "Don't you think you are rushing this a bit?" asked Gabriella. "I mean, we didn't talk for most of the summer and now you are proposing to start a serious relationship again?"

"Brie, we may not have talked but my feelings for you haven't dimmed one bit. It's been killing me to be apart, to give you the freedom and space I knew you needed. If you still need it I understand, but to answer your question, yes, I do want to be in a relationship again with the most amazing young woman I know," stated Troy, hope in his eyes as he searched her face for a clue as to what she was thinking.

Gabriella finished the first half of her sandwich while she stared back at him, trying to get her fighting mind and heart into harmony. 'My mind says to tell him no, that it's too soon yet my heart feels this is right, reminding me that getting back together with Troy was a frequent dream over the summer. Why else do you cling to that teddy bear besides it being cute? And oh those eyes, those blue orbs are always my undoing, especially when he looks at me like that, true, unaltered love in his eyes.'

Slowly, Gabriella felt herself nodding her head, a smile spreading across her face, causing his to react by practically beaming. "Yes? Does that mean yes you take me back as your boyfriend?"

"Yes," murmured Gabriella before she was immediately scooped up into Troy's arms, bringing her to sit on his lap in the process.

When he finally let go a little bit, Troy leaned back and smiled at Gabriella before leaning and kissing her with all the joy and love he felt, getting the image she felt the same way by the way she wrapped her arms around his neck and responded in kind. After kissing for a few more minutes, both having their fantasies of this exact moment from over the summer play out, they just savored the taste and feel of being in each other's arms again after what could have been the definite end.

They separated eventually as they realized they only had eight minutes left of lunch and neither had really eaten much, at least what could be called a lunch. As they quickly ate their food, their eyes never left, Gabriella hearing herself giggle for no reason but that she was happy, indisputably happy, something she didn't know she was actually capable of feeling now. She had just finished her last grape when the ball rang, signaling the end of their little blissful escape.

"I hope Taylor isn't going to kill me for abducting you for the entire lunch period," murmured Troy as he offered his hand to Gabriella to help her up.

Gabriella shrugged her shoulders. "I'll see her next for AP English and make sure it's all good," assured Gabriella, blushing as she realized Troy had no intention of letting go of her hand as they started to walk down the stairs. "Afraid of one of my best friends are we Troy?"

"Taylor, not so much. Tessa? Yes!" returned Troy as they made it the last few steps. "What are your fifth and sixth periods?"

"Umm," started Gabriella, pulling up the folded class schedule from her pocket. "Drama and then P.E. Ugh, what a way to end the day."

Troy's eyes lit up at this. "Well we sort of have a class together if that brightens up your day at all. I guess I'll see you then? I'm headed the other way."

Gabriella nodded her head at this, throwing away her trash in the trashcan nearby, sensing Paul and Curtis in her presence without having to even look at them. "Bye Wildcat!"

Troy winked at her before he headed off to Spanish class, a huge grin on his face that told Chad, who was waiting for him down the hall, exactly how things went.

- - -

Gabriella parked her car and chuckled as Paul slowly got out. "Have I ever mentioned to you that your foot is made of lead?" asked Paul, exaggerating his expression of getting sick as Troy pulled up.

"Shut up Paul! Why do I deal with you anyway?" asked Gabriella.

"Because I'm your faithful bodyguard and one of best confidants now," returned Paul, grinning.

"True," replied Gabriella, smiling back. She and Paul had gotten close over the summer as he really was the only one close to her age that Gabriella felt she could trust and relate to. They never truly hung out as he was her bodyguard first and foremost but they had fun times and she was glad that Paul healed as well as he did, even if he had pains in his right arm every now and then. Gabriella had half expected Paul to quit or be pissed at her but he wasn't, assuring Gabriella it wasn't her fault and it was his job to protect her. After exchanging apologies one day, they both agreed to never talk of faults again and to just drop it. Ever since then, it had been a very easy vibe. Curtis, on the other hand, refused to be less than formal unless he let his guard down every once in a while around Paul and Gabriella. 'One day he'll crack,' she thought as Curtis dutifully waited for Gabriella to go ahead of him into the mansion.

Gabriella waited for Troy to walk up to her and grabbed his hand as they started to walk towards the mansion. "Guessing you need to put me on that approved visitor list?" stated Troy, noting earlier how hard it had been to get in past the guard and gate until Gabriella sent Paul out of her car that was already on the other side of the gate to have Troy let through.

She nodded her head. "Paul is already working on that as we speak," she replied as she indicated to Paul, who was doing something on the PDA like thing he held in his hands. "Oh yeah, don't piss off Paul. He's got the keys to the kingdom right there in his hands."

Paul looked up at this and chuckled, especially after seeing Troy look at him and flush. "Don't worry loverboy. Unless you break our princess' heart again or hurt her physically, which I will not let you do so don't worry, you're in my good graces."

"Thanks man," replied Troy, turning his attention to a much bigger threat at the moment, a certain brunette who had a confused yet very upset look about her. "Umm, Brie, remember what I said earlier about being scared of Tessa?"

"Uh huh," responded Gabriella, giving him her full attention.

Troy gulped a little, seeing a murderous glint in Tessa's eyes just then. "You'll protect me if she tries to murder me unjustly, right?"

A confused look crossed Gabriella's face. "What are you talking about Troy?"

Instead of answering, Troy tilted his head to the right, in the direction of Gabriella's best friend where Tessa stood against the door of her car. "Tessa!" called out Gabriella, immediately breaking her grasp with Troy as she ran over to her best friend.

"Hey Gaby," greeted Tessa, immediately embracing her best friend while shooting daggers at Troy, who was nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "I came to see how your first day of school at East was but it seems like I need to knock some sense into you. Are you back with Bolton?"

Gabriella glanced back to see Troy talking to Paul about something but saw he was anxiously looking in the girls' direction. "Tessa, it isn't what it looked like this summer," started Gabriella.

"What part? That he stopped talking to you half way through the summer really or that he was seen around town with another girl when he was supposed to be pining for you?" returned Tessa.

Gabriella bit the corner of her lower lip, knowing Tessa was very fired up about this. "Look, I wouldn't have said yes to being his girlfriend again unless I knew in my heart this was the right choice, okay? You know how much I missed him this past summer, just as much as I missed you and that says a lot."

Tessa reluctantly nodded her head. "Fine, I'll give you that, but what are his sorry excuses?"

"Well he got a second job at night, which is something I can respect. He could have told me, yes, but Troy had his reasons. And the girl you saw him with? Says her name is Amy, at least I think that is what it is, and that she was staying at his house all summer. The girl is Troy's cousin Tess," explained Gabriella, watching her best friend's face for her true reaction.

She didn't have to wait long as Tessa's face started out having an outraged look on her face before she calmed it down. "Well we'll see about that. Why don't you go on in Gabriella?"

"And what are you going to do out here?" asked Gabriella, eyeing Tessa with deep suspicion in her eyes.

"Never you mind. Now get that cute butt of yours inside, I promise I won't hurt him, much," replied Tessa, already sizing Troy up.

Troy looked up at that moment and knew that fear was evident in his eyes as he looked back at the brunette. He shot Gabriella a pleading look, which caused Gabriella to say one last thing to Tessa before she came back over to him. "It's going to be all right but Tessa wants to talk to you," informed Gabriella as Tessa walked towards Troy. "You going to be okay?"

"Can you leave Paul out here with me?" asked Troy, immediately regretting this request as he knew it showed his fear at the moment.

Paul chuckled at this. "If you really need me here to defend you against a girl, I'll stay Troy," stated Paul, chuckling more as he saw the dangerous look Tessa gave him. "Then again, Tessa isn't any ordinary girl."

"Exactly my point man," murmured Troy.

Tessa gave Paul a look, who threw his hands up in the air in surrender. "All right, I'm heading in the house with Gabriella. I just better not find a body out here in thirty minutes, all right Tessa?"

"Since when did you grow a personality Paul?" threw back Tessa.

Paul shrugged. "Getting stabbed in the arm makes you realize that if you don't give your friends hell, even if they aren't truly your own, who will?"

Tessa rolled her eyes. "Weird guy, I don't know how you can be trusted guarding Gaby. Now off with you!"

"Good luck Troy!" called out Paul before chuckling again and walking inside to find Gabriella to talk about some security issues.

When the two were alone, Troy stayed silent, trying to squelch the feeling of doom as Tessa stared at him for a few silent moments. It wasn't until Troy looked Tessa in the eyes that she broke the death look and placed a smirk on her face. "Are you really that scared of me Bolton?"

"You have no idea," replied Troy, figuring honesty was the best policy here. "I know how very close you are to Brie and I respect that. I'm protective of her too."

"Are you now?" challenged Tessa, getting serious again. "Why'd you let her go then?"

"She needed her space and Gabriella was so emotionally and physically traumatized that I recognized that she needed to get away, from everything. I think seeing her now that I made the right call of letting her have space," returned Troy, gaining back his confidence as he knew the real truth in what he said.

Tessa shook her head though. "Not then. Middle of the summer or a bit earlier? Why'd you drop off from speaking to her without explanation? What's a girl to think when the boy she loves, yes loves Bolton, just kind of slips away like that?"

"Well to be honest, I didn't really think she'd jump to the conclusion she did about me seeing my cousin. Speaking of, thanks a lot for filling her head with that rumor," stated Troy, a bit angry now that he thought about it. "If Gabriella and I didn't trust each other like we do, I could have lost my chance with her today because of your gossip Tess."

"Hey, if the shoe fits, so be it. So how do I know this girl is who you say she is Troy? Your friends will lie to protect you so I can't ask them," pointed out Tessa.

Troy thought for a few moments and then shrugged his shoulders. "Other than getting a blood sample from her and having it tested in a lab, I don't have any other way to prove it to you Tessa. If you are set in believing though that I would lose hope on Gabriella coming back to me on her own time and terms, that quickly, then you don't know me at all Grainger. You say Gabriella loves me right? Well has it ever occurred to you that I love her just as much if not more? That I could have been missing her lots this summer, that the reason why I didn't tell her about working the second job was because I was ashamed?"

That struck a cord with Tessa. "Ashamed? Why would you be ashamed? You're East's Golden God."

He let out a groan at this. "I really hate that title, have I mentioned that? I was ashamed to tell Gabriella I was working a second job because I'm not some rich guy who can take care of her with ease and give her everything she wants."

"Well duh but hello, she's a princess. Gabriella doesn't need a boy to provide for her," stated Tessa.

"Which hits the other point. I was ashamed because I couldn't and still can't offer her anything she can't easily obtain herself but who I am and my love for her. Yes, we weren't together this summer but I never stopped caring or loving her Tessa. I thought that if I worked all summer, it would help me pass the time faster until I saw her again and also help me earn extra money to go towards college as well as to take Brie out to a nice place every once in a while. Before you even say it, I am aware that she could have fancy dinners every night and pay for it herself, but that's not the point of a special romantic date is it? For the guy to mooch off his girlfriend? I wanted the ability to treat her, to surprise her, and not be the jerk who says, 'oh yeah, I don't have money, you have to pay for all this' at the end of the night," stated Troy, finally feeling strong enough to defend himself against Gabriella's intimidating best friend.

Tessa's features softened as she thought about everything Troy said. 'There's no real way to validate his cousin's identity but I'd be crazy to miss the adoration and love he has in his eyes when he just talks about Gabriella and his feelings. I can also see why he would feel ashamed in some ways to tell a princess he has to work two jobs, that is quite a status change,' thought Tessa, letting a smile grace her lips.

"Does that smile mean I'm through with the third degree interrogation here?" asked Troy, hope in his voice.

Tessa nodded her head. "You pass but barely Troy. And if you ever act stupid again like neglect Gabriella in any way, even think of cheating on her, or God forbid, actually hurt her physically or emotionally, you will have me to deal with. Gabriella has gone through enough thanks to a stupid ignorant yet arrogant jock I'd like to slowly torture to death but as that won't happen, I'll have to settle on directing that towards you if you make her suffer in anyway, do you hear me?"

Troy, suddenly beginning to fear Tess again, just nodded his head. "Crystal clear Tessa. And for the record, if I did any of those things, I'd torture myself before you even had the chance. Those are things not even in my cards or even in the card deck. I know she doesn't need any more pain, grief, or any other negative emotion. My whole goal here is to make her feel better, loved, not hated or worse, promise."

Tessa sized Troy up one last time before she grinned. "Good, now that we have that out of the way, let's go inside and join said girl of your heart," said Tessa, switching back into the friendly and sweet girl she was most of the time.

'Heaven help me if Tessa ever thinks I did anything like she mentioned. I know for sure I'd be a dead man, but if I could spend more time with Brie before then, I'd die happy,' thought Troy as the two walked into the house, a relieved Gabriella waiting for them in the game room.

She surveyed both her best friend and her boyfriend before she was satisfied neither were physically injured. "This is good, no bruises, no blood, no cuts. I was getting worried here," said Gabriella.

Troy grinned before he walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her close to him. "Now why would you worry? It's only your best friend who puts you before all others it sounds like, even poor Zeke," teased Troy, wincing as Tessa slapped him on the back of his head. "Hey, that hurt!"

"Take it like a man Troy," retorted Tessa, her playful side coming out again. "That's what you get for teasing me and not even being provoked that time!"

"Oh, threatening me with violence if I ever hurt Gabriella isn't grounds enough for me to tease you even a little now that the tense moment is over?" questioned Troy.

Gabriella looked up at her boyfriend, who still had his arms around her, and then over at her best friend who was smirking at him. "Wait, Tessa actually threatened you? YOU?"

Troy looked back down at her and nodded. "It's okay, I can take on Tessa as long as she is happy with the way I'm treating you currently and she has no weapons."

"TESSA!" exclaimed Gabriella, somehow not very surprised this happened.

"What? He's fine, you said it yourself. Troy's a big boy, he handled an interrogation from the best friend of his girlfriend, he did well, so stop panicking," defended Tessa. "Besides, I know as your best friend if I ever hurt Troy while he is in your heart as he is now, I'd be a dead one so there."

Gabriella giggled. "True."

It was Troy's turn to smirk as he looked back at Tessa before turning his attention back on Gabriella, tightening his grip on her before he leaned down and kissed her, grinning against her lips as Troy heard Tessa groaning somewhere in the background.

Gabriella giggled as she pulled away from the kiss, suddenly looking at his arms that were around her and running her hands over his upper arms. "Babe, did you work out, like a lot over the summer?"

Troy sheepishly returned her look before nodding his head. "Besides working two jobs I trained with the guys to keep in shape and made sure I kept myself in top condition. This year is a big year to be scouted by colleges so I want to make sure I'm on top of my game and my health. You felt the new muscles huh?"

She nodded her head, a pink blush on her cheeks. "I feel them and I see them and wow. No wonder I was getting some death glares as we walked out of PE together holding hands. I think East girls are starting to realize their Wildcat Superstar may actually be taken, just as he got sexy."

"Hey, I wasn't sexy before?" protested Troy, feigning hurt.

"No, you were sexy before but now you are 'damn sexy' as Tessa would put it," replied Gabriella, remembering that Tessa had been witness to this. "Right Tessa?"

Tessa scoffed. "Troy Bolton damn sexy? That would be the day!" teased Tessa, knowing she was getting under Troy's skin and loving it. "I guess he would barely make my top five hundred sexy and hot men in this world."

"Grainger, I swear if you weren't Gabriella's best friend," started Troy.

"You'd what?" pushed Tessa, her eyebrow quirked.

"I'd feed you to the cheerleaders," returned Troy, laughing along with Gabriella as Tessa got that indignant look she wore the best.

"You wouldn't dare!" exclaimed Tessa.

Troy chuckled at this challenge. "If you don't believe me, push me a bit more and we'll see if the cheerleaders ever leave you alone and I'm not talking about harassing you either. I'll tell them you want to be one of them, that you have been dying to be part of them."

Tessa just shot daggers at Troy with her eyes as she sat down, hearing the promise in his words. Gabriella couldn't help but laugh at this. "Wow, you really do have a way with words Troy."

"Revenge is sweet, what can I say. So are you and your kisses though, even more so," said Troy, leaning his head closer to hers, feeling the chemistry they shared pull them closer together until they kissed again, both smiling against each other's lips as they heard Tessa actually pull a Chad move and fake gag as they purposely kept going. Eventually, they stopped and settled down with Tessa for a game of billiards on the nice billiards table off to the side of the game room but not without teasing peppering their talk between all three, who were finally all relaxed and able to enjoy each other's company, all the questions and doubts put behind them.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

During P.E. on Friday, Troy watched from a quarter of the length of the track back as Gabriella made her way around the track, doing her fourth out of seven while Troy and Chad were on their fifth. 'Sad, I'm counting her laps for her. Not that hard to do since I can't take my eyes off her,' thought Troy, a smile coming on his face as he thought of their stolen kisses in his, well their spot, during lunch before they walked into the cafeteria. They had agreed to not be that flashy couple who showed affection everywhere while on East High grounds so there were lots of rumors around their status but many were still in disbelief that the two could be together since they did cross the boundaries of the normal social cliques at East.

"Dude, seriously? I don't know how you haven't tripped by now with all that staring you are doing. Although I will admit she's not bad on the eyes, especially," started Chad.

Troy tore his eyes away from his girlfriend to look at his best friend. "You continue on with that sentence and I will seriously hurt you, even mid-run," threatened Troy, laughter in his eyes as he saw Chad just grin back at him. "You know, only my best friend and close friends could ever pull off checking out my girl without getting real punishment, right?"

Chad chuckled. "Exactly why I do it, gotta keep you all flustered about her. It's so adorable."

"Whatever man," returned Troy, looking back at Gabriella, who had been staying off on her own during P.E. he noticed. Taylor and Sharpay both weren't in this class with her and the boys were not always mixed in with the girls every period. "Hey, she looks lonely. Would you mind if I go keep her company?"

"Instead of me? Of course! But I'll come with you," returned Chad, increasing his speed to match Troy's as both boys moved to catch up and then keep pace with the slower running Gabriella.

"Hey guys," got out Gabriella, giving them both smiles before she returned to concentrating on pacing herself.

"How's it going Gab?" asked Chad, finding himself able to talk a lot more at the slower pace at which they were running. "You feeling all right?"

Gabriella nodded her head. "Just pacing. I'm not used to running everyday like you guys are," returned Gabriella. "Maybe I should be though."

"You could always come with me for a run or we could run around the grounds of your place," offered Troy. "That is if you really want to just for being able to say you have exercised."

Gabriella turned her head and quizzically looked at her boyfriend. "Huh?"

"I'm just saying I don't think you have any reason to necessarily need to exercise, you're beautiful the way you are," replied Troy, a grin on his face.

Chad gagged as usual at this moment and picked up his pace, deciding he would rather run on his own than listen to the sweetness going on behind him.

"Was it something we said?" asked Gabriella as she and Troy laughed. "Well, I think it's time to pick it up and run."

Troy looked where they were running currently. "Still two and a half laps. Are you going to be able to run all the way?"

"Is that a challenge Wildcat?" questioned Gabriella.

"Just a caring question from a loving boyfriend," defended Troy. "You are the one that said you haven't run much in a while."

Without another word, Gabriella increased her speed and started running faster, Troy grinning at the silent challenge as he followed her, amazed at the speed she picked up. Soon, the two were passing Chad, who was now just jogging until then. All three kept running, losing ground to each other one minute and then picking it back up the next. Troy and Chad didn't even realize they had run an extra lap until they had finished, Gabriella a few yards behind them, stopping and breathing in deep, trying to regulate her breathing again with her hands on her knees while Chad and Troy walked it out a bit to cool off.

Before she knew it, Gabriella was face down on the grass of the inside part of the track after feeling a firm push between her shoulder blades a moment earlier. She whipped her head around and saw a not so innocent looking Alicia smirking down at her. "Oops, Gabriella fell. You really should be more careful and in shape to prevent wooziness like that," said Alicia in her high-toned baby voice she thought was so cute.

Paul was by Gabriella's side immediately and helped her up, glaring at the other girl. "You pushed her, I saw you," accused Paul. "What is your problem?"

"Shut up new person. This is between me and Gabriella," stated Alicia, glaring at the boy before turning that look onto Gabriella. "Trust me, that's only a small taste of what will happen to you if you continue ruining my life Gabriella."

Gabriella looked at Alicia in shock. "Me, ruin your life? Please, enlighten me," said Gabriella, curious as to what Alicia would say but knowing too well what it was.

"You stole Troy from me last winter, and now you are here at East trying to steal away my popularity. You tried to steal away my crush too. You try to steal everything from me Gabriella but I'm not going to let you win any longer," stated Alicia, just as Troy approached the small group.

"What's going on?" asked Troy, concerned over the silent tension between the two girls.

"Nothing, your ex is just a bit delusional when it comes to history and current affairs," said Gabriella. "Look Alicia, you are free to think whatever you want but I don't know half of what you were babbling about. If this spite is over Troy and his choices, you should bring it up with him, not me. I didn't do anything to actively steal him from you as you said. And trust me, I'm not trying to be popular here and replace you. I'm just here for the education. Also, as for your crush, you can have Riley Sutton if you really are that sick to really want that guy, I don't want anything to do with him."

Alicia blinked a few times, a bit taken back by the fact that Gabriella knew who Alicia's crush was but pushed it aside. "But by dating Troy, you are aiming for popularity, consciously or not. Do you really think East High will accept a lowly former West girl dating their star? Doubtful. Besides, from the stories that have floated around here, I am surprised you even have the courage to show your face. All the stories about you murdering someone, sleeping with the entire West basketball team, the list goes on," spat out Alicia, trying to mask the hurt she felt seeing Troy looking so protective over Gabriella.

"Covina, Montez!" yelled the girls' PE teacher. "Locker rooms now unless you really fancy being out here when the rest of East High pours out for their weekend to see you both standing in your PE clothes."

The two girls finally broke their stare, looking over at their teacher and nodding, Gabriella taking off and running towards the girls' locker room, ahead of Alicia. After getting a look from the teacher, Troy, Chad, and Paul decided it was time to change as they headed to the boys' locker room while Curtis followed Gabriella to wait for her outside the locker room. It had been arranged so that Curtis could watch from afar and be the one to stand guard outside the locker room in such a manner that no one really noticed the odd behavior except for those that knew the truth. Gabriela had argued this, saying it totally looked fishy but Curtis was always careful to stand a distance away from the locker room but within earshot and full view, pretending to read a book or something against the wall. Of course, this didn't do anything to help Gabriella against anything that happened in the locker room, like how Alicia was now shooting glares her way while changing, but Gabriella knew Curtis was close enough so that he could hear her if she screamed.

'Hopefully it will never come to that with this girl,' thought Gabriella as she pulled her shirt on and closed her locker, heading out of the locker room with her bag slung over her right shoulder. 'Those rumors are the real rumors going around but that's just it, they're rumors. No one knows the truth of me and that's what matters the most, not that everyone likes me, right?'

She walked towards her locker in the halls, conscious that Curtis was following her and stopped at her destination as she put in her combination, pulling out stuff she would need for her homework over the weekend. Gabriella visibly jumped when Troy placed a hand on her left upper arm, turning quickly to see who it was, panic in her eyes. This didn't escape Troy, who instantly got a worried look on his face. "You okay?" he asked.

Gabriella hesitantly nodded her head, consciously working to end the flashback that was playing in her head to the times Riley put his hand on her when she was at her locker last school year and what they usually resulted in, her getting hurt. She blinked a few times before being able to look back up at Troy, seeing the concern clear on his face once again. "It's all right, I just am a bit leery when things like that happen, grabbing me or touching me when it isn't expected just brings back some bad memories is all," stated Gabriella, seeing understanding in Troy's blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, I need to remember that," apologized Troy. "Sometimes I just get so excited to see you, touch you, I forget."

Gabriella gave him a small smile. "Don't worry, I just have to get over it is all. Just give it some time, please?"

Troy nodded. "I can definitely do that. So are you and Taylor going to come to the park still?"

"Yup, wouldn't miss it for the world," returned Gabriella, smiling just before Troy brushed a soft kiss against her lips before waving good-bye as he went down the hall towards his own locker.

Gabriella turned back to her locker and finished grabbing things she needed, closing her locker and looking around for Taylor, who was supposed to meet her there. After a few minutes of leaning against her closed locker and just watching people go by, Taylor arrived with another girl with her. "Hey Gabriella! I hope you don't mind but I invited Martha to come along. She's in most of our AP classes and I wanted you two to meet officially as Martha is also a good friend of mine. Martha Cox, this is Gabriella Montez. Gabriella, this is Martha."

The taller brunette genuinely smiled at Gabriella, which Gabriella felt herself return. "Nice to officially meet you Martha. I have noticed you in classes. You're pretty good, especially in Calculus."

Martha shrugged. "If you think that's good, you should see me dance sometime! That's my real passion. Book smarts is just something I got lucky with."

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Lucky with? Yeah right girl, I see you study just like the rest of us students."

"True but when I'm home by myself, dancing and listening to music like takes over me. It's an amazing feeling Taylor to just be in your own groove. You have to give it a try someday soon, then you'll know what I'm talking about," stated Martha, realizing she may be saying too much.

Luckily for her though, the two girls she was now standing with were a bit more open-minded. "Hey, I know what you are talking about," replied Gabriella with a smile. "I feel that every time I dance at a party or a school dance, just being able to leave everything behind. I totally get that!"

"Awesome!" exclaimed Martha, excited she had finally found someone like her, smart but also aware of the magic of music and dance. "So, are we really going to the park to watch the jocks play basketball? I thought that wasn't your thing Taylor."

Taylor directed a look at Gabriella. "It isn't really but Gabriella here is going to spend time with her boyfriend so I figured I could keep her company and that you could keep me company. Don't worry, they don't bite, well everyone except for Chad."

Gabriella laughed at this. "So, is that what got you that little hickey on your neck there? Chad's biting?" teased Gabriella, grinning as Taylor slapped a hand over her shoulder where her shirt that had covered the spot all day must have slipped. "If that's not proof of you and Chad at least fooling around together, I don't know what is."

"Hey, this isn't my fault! He begged to get some help in one of his classes and I am never one to turn away someone who wants academic help. I was over at Chad's house last night, going over the difference between formal and informal for his Spanish class and next thing I knew he kissed me, which led to me kissing back, and let's just say that he has a matching mark," revealed Taylor, blushing at her confession.

Gabriella and Martha looked at each other before they glanced back at Taylor, smiling at this. "Oooh, Chad and Taylor getting hot and heavy! Wait until the school finds out!" kidded Martha, happy for her good friend.

"You wouldn't dare, would you?" questioned Taylor, scared that it would get around the school that Taylor was dating a lunkhead basketball boy.

Martha shook her head. "Nah, just as you guys accept me for my quirks, I think I can accept you both for dating basketball boys. Troy's actually pretty nice this year so far, quite a bit less broody than freshman and sophomore years."

Taylor laughed. "That's in large part due to this young lady here. She has done wonders of taming Troy Bolton and he doesn't seem to mind it. And I'd like to point out, I am not dating Chad at that same level, we are definitely not in a relationship."

"Yet," said Gabriella. "Anyway, we have time to talk like this at the park. We gotta get going. You guys going to follow me to my house and then we can go in one car from there?"

"Sure," agreed Taylor before the three girls moved through the halls of East, making their way to the parking lot and officially starting their first weekend as seniors.

- - -

The boys were on their third two-on-two game when the girls' discussion turned towards the boys they were watching again. "So Taylor, do you really like Chad or was last night a one time thing?" asked Martha, intrigued that her good friend who always claimed to despise Chad seemed to have a soft spot for him.

"If you let her answer that, it'll be a 'of course not, he's a lunkhead basketball guy' when she really means that she's been crushing on him for quite some time now," stated Gabriella, giving Taylor a knowing smile.

"I am so insulted you think I would like that lunkhead!" exclaimed Taylor, forgetting her fake offense when Chad stopped playing long enough to give her a grin.

Gabriella and Martha both saw this and busted out in giggles. "BUSTED!" exclaimed both, laughing harder as Taylor blushed, Chad giving them a confused look before shrugging and going back to the game.

"All right, fine, so I like him and I think he likes me too. Yes, I dare to cross that imaginary line between jocks and honors students and I don't care what you think of me," declared Taylor.

Gabriella stared at her friend while she shook her head, a smile still on her face. "Like I have any right to say anything there Taylor. If you care for him and he likes you back, I say you two deserve nothing but happiness together. I'll even play my part to make it happen if you want," said Gabriella.

"You are so not pushing him to ask me out Gabriella," returned Taylor quickly.

"Who said anything about pushing? It just takes a little bit of a spark, well maybe a fire in Chad's case, to get him thinking the right direction. Trust me, I've had enough experience with the boy to know," stated Gabriella. "Give me some time and you will have a nice shiny new title of girlfriend within two weeks, guaranteed."

Martha grinned. "Let me know if you need any help there. I am all in for helping too."

Curtis and Paul, who were both standing together behind the girls began to roll their eyes at the conversation they were hearing. "Honestly, how can you listen to their giggling and girl talk all the time?" asked Curtis, still trying to adjust to pretending to be a high school student and be a teenager. "I mean, we're both easily in our late twenties. That may be only ten years or so difference but I haven't heard anyone talk the way they do in a while."

Paul chuckled. "Then you haven't been listening to your friends very much because I've hung out with you once or twice on our off days this summer and let me tell you, some of those women you hang around are not that much different from Gabriella and her friends."

"You aren't falling for the princess are you?" asked Curtis, getting the strange feeling that Paul very well could be.

Paul shook his head, denying it. "No, I just see her more as a friend and as a sweet young girl who has gone through quite a bit in her short life. Not many people I know would be able to bounce back the way she has after being assaulted and raped, on top of struggling with having to wear a heavy burden called a tiara of royalty. Gabriella has just been through a lot and I find myself really feeling for her. I mean come on Curtis, neither you or I could possibly know what she's going through or has gone through. We can imagine, yes, but do we really know?"

"Way too philosophical for me there man, totally," returned Curtis. "All I'm saying is that their little talks are starting to drive me insane."

"Then stop listening," reasoned Paul, a smile on his face. "Uh oh, heads up, I see trouble coming."

Curtis looked up and saw a group of five guys walking towards where the three girls were seated. As was custom, Curtis and Paul stood back but were ready for the slightest provocation to get mixed up in the little "discussion" that was just starting between the boy that was now talking to Gabriella.

"Gabriella Montez right?" asked the blonde boy standing in front of Gabriella, blocking her view of the guys back on the basketball court.

She eyed him a little before narrowing her eyes, recognizing him as being on the West High basketball team. 'Shit,' she cursed in her mind. "What do you want Mark Sanchez?"

"Still feisty as ever I see," commented Mark, a grin on his face. "I thought since I was captain now of the West team I'd come over and see how you are doing, see if I could get lucky like Riley did."

When Mark dared to reach out a hand and caress Gabriella's hand, she slapped it away and got up, feeling better at standing her height, even if she was a great deal shorter than Mark. "Don't touch me!"

"What's the matter Gabriella? Does it give you flashbacks to when you were in Riley's arms? See, you wouldn't be so much of an interest to me except that you are apparently still Bolton's girl and that makes you my business, especially because of the history you have with West now, having sent our former captain to jail for something he supposedly did when he conquered you. I don't mind so much since now I'm captain but these guys do, as does a lot of the team and the rest of West. If it wasn't my duty though, I'd still be interested in you. Dark beauty and bravery to even stand here without quivering in fear, knowing what you know, having experienced what you have. I have to hand it to you, you have my respect in that regards," said Mark, smirking a little as he saw Gabriella straighten her posture even more.

"Just get lost Mark," replied Gabriella. "Whatever you wanted to do by coming over here isn't going to happen so just back off."

"Actually, I beg to differ," returned Mark as he just heard one of his buddies murmur that Troy and the other three were heading their way. "I just needed an excuse to start something with your boyfriend. Thanks doll."

Mark had the audacity to lean in and try to kiss Gabriella for which she rewarded him with a hard slap that was unfortunately not hard enough to wipe the grin off his face. "You are such a jerk! Like I'll let Troy get hurt for some stupid reason like you."

"Oh, defending the boy in fights now are we? That's impressive," stated Mark. "Hey Bolton, your girlfriend just got done telling me how very whipped you are, that she can stop you from fighting me with just one word."

Troy listened to the words Mark spoke as the other boy turned around from looking at Gabriella to looking at Troy. He saw that Paul and Curtis had gotten involved, bringing Gabriella, Taylor, and Martha a good distance away from the sizzling fight, Curtis staying behind while Paul came back to aid Troy if needed.

"So, you're the new captain of West huh? I guess congratulations are in order Sanchez," said Troy, determined to try to keep the tension in the air to a small sizzle. Troy was not ready to involve Gabriella, Taylor, and Martha in a fight he knew they would get involved in if it happened, especially Gabriella and Taylor who had become rather close to the guys.

Mark smirked at Troy. "Congratulating me? Well thanks man, we should go hang out captain to captain… NOT! What is with you Bolton? I remember the last time we met like this you had far more fire in your belly than now. Oh… It is the girl, she's softened you. How sweet! Isn't that sweet boys?" called out Mark, earning laughter from his teammates and friends. "That always is so sad to see though, a man's boy turned wimpy over a girl. She can't be that wonderful in bed to lose your edge Bolton, no girl is."

"Who said anything about it having to do with a girl, let alone a bed? Maybe I decided it was time to grow up past this petty rivalry. True you want to be on the best and winning team but that doesn't mean obsess over your competition 24/7, especially when it gets into their personal lives. Trust me, I could care less who you are screwing Sanchez and what your one night stands think of you," returned Troy, staring Mark in the eyes. "Why don't you and your crew get lost? We'll take this up on the basketball court if you want but there isn't a real reason to duke it out here, right now."

"What a wimp," retorted Mark with a sneer. "She really does have you whipped Bolton and that is just so sad to see. Almost like she neutered you. If she did, I'd pay to see that sorry sight."

"Dude, why don't you just back off?" asked Chad, stepping up next to Troy. "We're not looking for a fight here guys. Your testosterone level may be at an all time high right now but all we came out here to do this evening was play some ball."

"Play some ball? You sound like you're in elementary school kid," joked Mark, earning more laughter from his friends behind him. "Maybe that's why I never hear about you with a girl. Maybe you're just too much of a little boy to properly handle a fine piece of meat of maturity."

Chad scoffed. "Like you are Mark! Rumor around East is that all you have are one-night stands and that isn't by your choice. Sounds to me like you are the one who can't 'properly handle' girls you date."

One of the guys standing behind Mark chose this moment to lunge directly at Chad, tackling him to the ground, throwing punches where he could as Chad returned them between trying to defend himself. Troy moved to try to get the guy off of Chad but felt a hard blow from a kick to his midsection, landing him on the ground before Mark started swinging. Soon, there was a wide spread fight between the two teams, including Paul who got nailed in the eye from a West guy, the odd guy out who wanted a fight and figured Paul would suit his needs.

Gabriella and Taylor instantly started to run to try to break up the fight but were held back by Curtis, who shook his head. "This is too dangerous for you to get in the middle of," stated Curtis, anxiously surveying the fight to keep tabs of what was going on. "We have to get you out of here Princess."

'Princess?' wondered Martha who heard this. 'That's a strange pet name for a friend.'

"No!" refused Gabriella. "I am not leaving them to be out here without help! Someone needs to stop this!"

Curtis looked back at the fight and then back at Gabriella. "Fine, I'll do it but you stay here, got it?"

Gabriella reluctantly nodded, just glad that he didn't force her to leave like he had wanted. The three girls watched as Curtis tried to separate Mark and Troy but got shoved to the side for his efforts. Gabriella was so focused on the fight she didn't sense anyone approaching until it was too late.

"Hello again Gabriella," said a dark voice Gabriella wished she would never have to hear again.

She whipped around and screamed as she saw that Riley, looking tired and ragged, stood before her, a crazy yet menacing grin on his face. "What are you… how are you?"

"Out? Oh, some group who believes I was unjustly treated bailed me out after taking some time to raise enough. I was trying to be good, to wait until the trial to see you again but I couldn't wait any longer. I can still remember how good you felt Gabriella, how you moved under me," said Riley, advancing while Gabriella backed up, seeing in her peripheral Taylor and Martha running to the boys, hopefully for help.

"It's called RAPE Riley, RAPE! Get away from me!" screamed Gabriella, instantly starting to panic as images came rushing back into her mind, images she had controlled so well until then. She closed her eyes, trying to push them away, but opened them quickly as she felt Riley's harsh grip on her shoulders, pulling her roughly against him. Gabriella struggled, aching to get away from him but finding that he once again was too strong for her.

"LET GO OF HER NOW SUTTON!" demanded Troy, a few feet away, pure anger radiating from his body.

Riley roughly turned Gabriella in his arms so that she was facing Troy, giving Troy a clear view of how very frightened his girlfriend was. "Now why would I do that Bolton when I can remind Gabriella of how good it felt to have my hands running down her body, like this," sneered Riley, dropping one of his hands to run down Gabriella's side as tears began to flow more from Gabriella's eyes.

"Please stop," she begged, hating the feeling of having him touching her again. "Please Riley, stop, please stop."

The pleas to stop being unheard by Riley who kept going was enough reason for Troy to throw caution to the wind as he flew at the two, taking Gabriella down in the process but succeeding in separating her from Riley's clutches. Once Troy knew Gabriella was off to the side, Troy began to pummel Riley, wherever he could reach, until Riley started gaining momentum and ground, fighting back with as much force.

Gabriella sat there, on the ground where she had been shoved, crying as she watched with glassy eyes the two boys fighting, her mind trapped in an endless reel of Riley's attack a few months ago. The recent feel of his hands was more than enough to bring everything back and it wasn't going away, as much as Gabriella wanted it to. She didn't see her additional security team, who responded to Curtis' signal, separate the fighters, she didn't hear the police eventually come, arresting Riley after it was explained that he had violated the conditions of his bail by approaching and touching Gabriella, she didn't even feel Troy's arms as he wrapped her crying form in his embrace as he dropped down to the ground next to her. Gabriella had no knowledge of when the West High boys were escorted out of the park by the cops or when the rest of the gang got in their cars to go home, everyone except Taylor and Troy, who stayed with Gabriella, comforting her in whatever ways they could, never giving up as Gabriella continued to cry, looking at them with eyes that didn't truly see them. She just cried, cried as she remembered every vivid detail, recalled how Riley got off on her fear, relived every second he roughly touched her, now breaking down because she no longer had control, just as she had no control that night, wondering somewhere in her chaotic mind if she ever would again.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

It had been a week since that evening in the park and no one in their little group of friends had seen Gabriella except for Troy, and that was still less than he would have liked. Stephen and Annette had kept Gabriella out of school for the past week as she was almost in the same state she was in at the end of spring, being bothered by constant memories of Riley's assault as she would call it, disturbed by the word "rape." Every day since the sudden reappearance of Riley in public at the park, Troy had gone over to the Montez estate, as he had come to call it as house no longer fit their residence. Each day he had waited to see Gabriella, heartbroken the first few times when Annette came out of her daughter's room to tell Troy to go home, that Gabriella wasn't able to see him. It wasn't until Tuesday that Gabriella allowed him to come in and even then it was brief.

_Troy slowly walked into Gabriella's room to see his girlfriend huddled into a ball on her bed, hugging the teddy bear from Valentine's Day tight to her chest, dressed in sweats, her hair in a loose ponytail. He was momentarily distracted by the size of her bedroom as this was his first time to see it, but refocused as he heard her soft sobs continue. When he reached the bed, Troy sat down on the side, watching her continue to cry for a few moments before hesitantly extending a hand out to run his finger down her left cheek which made her flinch, the reaction he had dreaded causing._

"I'm sorry Brie, I didn't mean to startle you," said Troy, hoping it was just the surprise factor that caused that withdrawal.

Gabriella slowly opened her eyes and looked into those blue orbs that held definite concern for her. "I'm sorry Troy, I'm just such a mess right now. Emma hasn't even been able to really help me, at least not much these days," replied Gabriella, wiping away at her tears. "He just won't leave me alone Troy, he keeps haunting me day or night. I can feel him with me like he's in this room, breathing on me, touching me, talking to me. Can you make it stop? Please make it stop."

As Gabriella started to cry again, Troy pulled her into his arms, stroking her back with his right hand while she began to cry again, hiccupping after a while. "If I could do anything to take your pain away Brie, I would in a heartbeat. I want to take everything that bothers and pains you and bear it for you but I haven't quite figured out how to do that yet but you must know if I could, I absolutely would. I love you Gabriella."

Gabriella pulled back her head that had been resting on his shoulder. "What? You can't love me Troy, you can't possibly love me. You don't have to lie, it's okay, I understand you don't."

Troy stared at Gabriella in confusion. "What? Brie, I love you, I wouldn't say it if I didn't, you must know that. Why wouldn't I love you? Do you not love me?"

"I do Troy, I really do love you but I hate myself, I don't see a single redeeming quality in myself that would be worthy of your love," replied Gabriella, honesty in her voice despite the trembling in her voice and body at the moment.

Gabriella wasn't the only one having flashbacks at that moment as Troy started thinking back to when he heard similar words and sentiments leave her mouth over three months ago. "Gabriella, look at me, please. You are more than worthy of my love, don't you see it now? You make me feel so happy by just being with me, giving me that sweet smile of yours, making me laugh, astounding me with your intelligence yet never once making me feel inferior or stupid. Brie you see me, Troy Bolton, a regular teenage boy and not what you want me to be or what I am supposed to be by stereotype."

"But I'm tainted Troy, I'm used goods!" exclaimed Gabriella, drawing away from him and bringing her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. "I can never give you what was taken away from me. I can't ever be with you and not fear some part of my being recoiling because a harsh random moment replays itself in my head at the slightest provocation. That's what happened earlier this summer, little things triggering things in my head that would leave me like I am now. You don't deserve this mess Troy, you really don't."

Troy shook his head, remembering the last time she spoke like this. "I am not allowing you to walk away from us again Brie, not this time. I know the separation before helped but you aren't leaving Albuquerque this time, I can be here for you. Please let me be here for you," he begged, gently taking her hands into his. "Please Brie, let me love you, let me be here for you."

Gabriella stared back into his eyes and sighed. "Can you give me tonight to think?"

He immediately nodded his head. "If that's what you need, yes."

"Thank you," whispered Gabriella, smiling a little as she felt Troy's lips softly kiss her forehead before he got up from the bed.

"I love you Gabriella and I will be back tomorrow, I promise," said Troy before leaving the room and walking out of the mansion.

Troy was sitting in the red living room, referred to as red because of the decorations and furniture, just as the brown living room, gold living room, and black living rooms were named. 'God, how many living rooms do you need?' wondered Troy, looking around the room while he waited for Gabriella to be done with her session with Emma Collins, her therapist.

"Troy, nice to see you," greeted Stephen as he entered the room. Troy automatically stood up and did an awkward bow to Gabriella's father, who chuckled. "Now how many times have I told you to stop doing that?"

"I'm sorry sir, kind of like a knee reflex since I know you are Prince of Copanvy and all," explained Troy.

Stephen raised an eyebrow at this. "Do you mean to tell me you bow to Gabriella?"

"Well no," replied Troy, instantly seeing Stephen's point.

"Exactly," said Stephen. "And you can call me Stephen too, I've told you that plenty of times before too. I know you and I haven't a solid history but I want you to know that I appreciate the support you have been giving our daughter. She's a special girl and I think you realize that and she needs the support where she can get it right now."

Troy nodded his understanding. "I fully realize that and want to be here to support her where I can. I keep thinking back to last week and what happened three to four months ago and keep playing it over in my mind, trying to figure out how I could have done things differently to spare her this."

"You can't do that, as much you want to Troy. I think the same things, what if I was home when it happened, what if I had been stricter with Gabriella, but things just happen in life that we cannot control or predict. The important thing here is that you make Gabriella happy when she needs you the most, even when she's trying to push you away. Yes, Annette and I know how determined Gabriella has been in the past about putting you at arm's length, and as much as I may not be as on board as my wife is about you two being together considering the circumstances, I want you to also know that Gabriella is trying to do what she thinks is best for you. I've spoken with Emma, who says Gabriella is improving again, we all can see that, but it's slow and the biggest thing that sticks out is how much Gabriella depreciates her self-worth right now," explained Stephen. "This guy has done a real number on her and I don't even think he is mature enough to understand the extreme damage he has done to my daughter."

"I'd have to agree on that note," said Troy. "Riley has just been so focused on what he wants that he never really took into account Gabriella and what he was doing to her. He got a sick obsession with getting her, one way or another, and no matter time or what happened, that was his sole goal. I'm just happy he's in jail now for good, at least until the trial. When is that set for by the way?"

Stephen thought for a moment, calculating the time between today and the first day of the trial. "It's the Monday of the last week of September, I'd say about four weeks or so from now. Tell me honestly Troy, how are things going for Gabriella now at East High? Are things better now than they were at West High?"

Troy considered the number of things that happened at West and then compared them to what had happened in the first week of East. "To be fair, it has been only one week of school where Gabriella was there and there are plenty of rumors about her transfer and who she is but there's only been one confrontation of sorts and that wasn't too bad. It was between Gabriella and this girl Alicia who I think barks more than she actually bites to be truthful. My buddies and I try to keep an eye on her in addition to Paul and Curtis who are always around to look out for her too."

"Well I'm glad you are there then," replied Stephen, a smile on his lips. "Oh and Troy? I think it means something that Gabriella even wants to see you right now. Her other friends have been trying to stop by but they've all been told to leave. I'm wondering though if she needs to see them, maybe this weekend?"

Troy nodded his head. "I can make it happen if you don't mind a bunch of teenagers here at one time."

"No party Troy," warned Stephen.

He denied this with a shake of his head. "No, I wasn't thinking on that level, sorry if I gave you that impression. I was more thinking a gathering of people. A few of my buddies who know Gabriella and Gabriella's best friends, that's all. Maybe this Sunday?"

"I think this Sunday is a good day. It'll give Gabriella some more time to do what she is doing. Annette and I were thinking of sending her back to school on Monday so it'll be like a step in the process. Having the gathering here really is the only option anyway," stated Stephen, a grim expression on his face.

"What do you mean?" questioned Troy.

Stephen let out a little sigh before he said, "Well, after last week's fight in the park plus some other surveying our security team has done, they've decided the only real safe place for Gabriella is here on our property. It's either that or we allow them to travel in a larger size with Gabriella and I know she would hate that as it will draw more attention to her. At school, there will be a team of four extra men roaming the campus the entire day, it has already been cleared with your principal, Principal Matsui I believe his name is."

"Does he know about Gabriella being a princess?" asked Troy, curious to know.

"No, just that we are an influential family. Really the only people that know besides my own associates are you, Taylor, and Tessa. We decided as a family it was best to keep that part of our lives out of the picture right now. With the trial and everything, we don't need anything else complicating Gabriella's life right now," answered Stephen, looking the young man sitting a few feet away from him in the eyes. "I hope you understand that everything I have done and that I do is for the benefit of my daughter and her life. I know that my motives and presence can be misread but it is the truth of the matter. I've missed quite a bit of her life because of my responsibilities so if I can make things easier for her, wherever I can, I'll do it, no matter the cost."

As Troy stared back at the man who was Gabriella's father and yet something also more than that, an eventual ruler of a country, new feelings of respect grew for the man as Troy began to understand what Stephen really was all about.

"Wow, isn't this interesting, father and boyfriend in the same room, isn't it Gabriella?" joked Annette as she and Gabriella both stood in the entryway of the living room. "Glad to see you two do get along after all."

Gabriella smiled at this, looking first at her father and then at Troy, feeling somehow better to have both her parents and Troy in the same room as her at that moment.

Stephen cleared his throat. "Well, Troy looked lonely so I thought I'd talk to him a bit to explain the new security measures. I had to give him some warning that his dates with our daughter would most likely be in-house now."

"Daddy!" exclaimed Gabriella, embarrassed that the dating topic came up between her father and her boyfriend.

Stephen shrugged. "It's the truth sweetie, at least for now and Troy seems to understand. Speaking of, I guess us old people should leave to give you two some alone time. Oh and Troy? We have security cameras in every room," said Stephen, looking directly at his daughter's boyfriend.

Troy stared back, swallowing hard at the look that spoke volumes to Troy. "I understand sir."

Annette rolled her eyes at this sudden change. "It's not true Troy, Stephen here just thinks it's funny to scare you beyond belief."

"I do not!" protested Stephen, finally cracking a smile after a few moments. "Okay, maybe I do. Hey, I have to have some fun right?"

"Come on Stephen," said Annette, throwing Gabriella and Troy an apologetic look as she dragged her husband out of the room.

Gabriella let out a giggle as she saw the very embarrassed look on Troy's face, which relaxed as soon as he heard her laughter, music to his ears despite how he was feeling a moment before. "Oh, so you think it's so funny that your dad loves to torture me like that huh?" joked Troy, reaching up to where Gabriella was standing in front of him and wrapping his hands around her waist before he pulled her down to his lap. He watched her face the entire time to make sure there were no signs of panic or hesitation, relieved when he saw neither. 'That's an improvement, I couldn't really touch her the past two days without seeing some type of fear on her face.'

"Actually, it's a bit hysterical to see you with my dad all the time," answered Gabriella, a smile still playing on her lips. "You really do let him intimidate you too much, you know that Wildcat?"

"Well how am I supposed to act? Not only is he a foreign prince but he is your father Brie. That means he is automatically owed that much respect. Would you care for me if I didn't respect him?" asked Troy, instantly realizing he may have pushed things too far considering how Gabriella had been feeling the past few days. "Sorry Gabriella, you don't have to answer that."

"It's okay Troy, I do love you, don't forget that despite my stupid protesting okay?" returned Gabriella. "I know I had a huge relapse in the past week but with Emma's help, I've been able to recover faster than after his initial attack. Emma has helped a lot, reminding me of the safe places I had created for myself during the summer that I easily forgot when I saw and ... felt … Riley. I may still be jumpy but I know that you'll never hurt me, that much I can feel in my soul and I consciously recognize now."

"You thought I'd really hurt you Brie?" asked Troy, inwardly hurt that she could ever think that of him.

Gabriella quickly shook her head. "No, and see that's the thing. I know you wouldn't ever hurt me Troy," said Gabriella, taking his right hand in both of hers. "But with what has happened at the hands of Riley, Emma says it's normal for me to be super jumpy and still have fears about being hurt, even by people in general, not targeting the original offender. That's one of the biggest reasons why I didn't want to see you earlier this week Troy, because I didn't want to see the hurt look that is on your face now. I know I have problems and I also recognize how they hurt you too and I want to spare you that if I can."

"I'd rather you not spare me and let me be here for you whenever and where I can," replied Troy. He brushed back some stray hairs from her face and smiled at her. "Gabriella, don't you see? I could be put through physical torture but it wouldn't matter as long as I had you and you had me. Maybe we are too young to be talking this way but my feelings for you Brie, they go deeper than I've ever felt for any other girl, any past girlfriends. You are special to me and for that reason alone, I want you to know every time you talk badly about yourself, degrade yourself, you are hurting me too because I want you to see the beautiful young woman I fell in love with and continue to fall in love with, not who you think you are as a result of Riley's actions."

"But he took away something special from me that I didn't willingly give him," protested Gabriella, nervously looking Troy in the eyes.

Troy shook his head. "Maybe Riley took away your virginity and your innocence on another level but he cannot take away your heart or your mind or your soul and don't you dare let him try. I remember something my mom told me when I was younger, when I was getting bullied by some sixth graders when I was in fourth grade. She said for me to always remember that 'no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.' I think she said a famous person said it, I don't remember who, but it has always stuck in my mind since then and I guess it has lent itself to who I am today in some ways."

Gabriella softly smiled back at him. "That quote, Eleanor Roosevelt said that, among many other quotes that I love like 'The giving of love is an education in itself.' That woman certainly knew what she was saying."

"Oh yeah?" asked Troy as he ran the fingers of his left hand down from Gabriella's forehead to her cheek, softly running his fingers back and forth over her cheek. "What have you learned from loving me then since you say that you do?"

Gabriella thought for a moment before returning his gaze with a dreamy one of hers. "I have learned that love is unconditional, that it will not go away even if I think I do not deserve it. That the word love has such power to it that it makes the recipient glow with happiness, that love makes the giver ecstatic, leaving a trail of warm feelings in its wake after it has been given, time and time again. Love can be communicated by the slightest brushing of the fingers, reignited from a dying flame to a firestorm after time apart, and is best expressed by the feel of your loved one's embrace just holding you, no words spoken between you two as you just soak each other up. Love is best described by the way I feel about you Troy Bolton and how you make me feel, especially in those times that I need you the most. You get me like no other boy could and you have taught me what love means outside of family and friends, you have taught me that romantic love isn't just a myth or a fairy tale, that it does exist."

She grinned a little as Troy just stared at her, speechless. After a few moments he finally said, "Wow."

Gabriella laughed at this. "Did I render you completely silent?"

"You know how I've always called you smart? I think that was a prime example right there, the way you were so able to eloquently answer my smartass question and put me in my place. Do you really feel all that?" questioned Troy.

"Of course. I wouldn't have said it otherwise Troy. I do love you and you do make me feel all those wonderful things I wondered as a little girl if I would ever feel, which is again why I hate seeing your pain at having to watch me deal with my emotional baggage as I have come to call it," replied Gabriella.

"Brie, I think it's safe to say that I love you just as much as you love me and I know you would do anything for me. Let me do anything for you. Promise me you'll let me be with you each step of the way in your recovery, especially during the trial. No pulling away from me okay? It may hurt to see you wince at my touch at times or to see you just cry out of nowhere but that is who you are right now and as you said, love is unconditional and I am committed to you, one hundred percent," vowed Troy. "Please let me be here for you."

Gabriella smiled at Troy, brushing back some of his brown hair that was currently covering some of his blue eyes. "I wouldn't dream of pushing you away from me now Troy, you mean too much to me. I just hope one day you don't regret making that commitment to me."

"I never will because you are so worth whatever comes my way, physical or emotional, because you Brie are easily the love of my life," stated Troy, grinning a little as he saw a happy tear roll down Gabriella's cheek. He wiped it away quickly and leaned in slowly, giving Gabriella time to back away if she wanted to, but grinned more as she met him halfway and returned his kiss, neither paying any attention to their surroundings as their world was just about them and what they both equally felt at that very moment.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

As Troy had promised Gabriella's father, Sunday late morning found Chad, Zeke, Jason, Tessa, Taylor, Martha, and Troy over at the Montez estate, waiting in the gold living room for Gabriella, who showed up just a few minutes after they had gotten settled in a pair of jeans and a familiar looking East High hooded sweatshirt on. She smiled as she saw everyone, having gotten herself mentally prepped to deal with questions and concerned looks that morning. At first, she had refused Troy inviting everyone over the day before but relented after he pleaded everyone's cases, reminding her she would have to see almost everyone anyway the next day.

'At least today is just my real friends and not the judgmental group known as the general high school population, right?' thought Gabriella as she took a seat on the couch next to Troy. "Hi everyone."

"Gaby, you better not think that's an appropriate greeting for your best friend who hasn't seen you in a week plus!" exclaimed Tessa, who immediately got off the floor from where she was sitting and embraced Gabriella tightly, happy to feel Gabriella return the hug. "I've been so worried about you Gabriella."

Gabriella patted Tessa's back. "I'm sorry, it's just been tough. Do you know what happened?"

Tessa pulled back just in time for Taylor to hug Gabriella too. "I filled her in, hope you don't mind," supplied Taylor as she also stood back from Gabriella.

"No, that's good. I'd like to not really talk about that if possible, I've done enough during my sessions," replied Gabriella.

"How are those going by the way?" asked Martha from the floor while Taylor and Tessa took seats closer to Gabriella.

"Progress is being made. It's odd because there are times like now that I feel fine, that everything is okay but suddenly it'll be like a train coming at you at full speed, the flashbacks, but I'm learning to master them again, slowly but surely. Thanks everyone for coming by the way, it's nice to see everyone, even you three knuckleheads over there," teased Gabriella after seeing Zeke lightly punch both Chad and Jason after they teased him about something quietly.

"Hey now, how does Troy not get the title of knucklehead?" protested Chad.

"Because I'm her loving boyfriend, aren't I Brie?" jumped in Troy, kissing the top of her head before grinning over at his best friend.

"I can see the little lovey dovey stuff hasn't gone anywhere," commented Zeke, happy to see his good friend happy again after the worried state Troy had been in during the past week. Zeke glanced over at Tessa and saw her blush as he looked at her, causing him to grin.

Chad chuckled at this. "Like you're one to talk after that little exchange."

"Yeah, aren't you guys ever going to formalize this random hookup thing you've got going on?" asked Taylor, raising her eyebrow at Tessa.

Tessa blushed deeper, daring to look at Zeke only for a few moments before looking away again. "Well I've asked her if you want to know but she keeps stalling on answering," replied Zeke, eyeing Tessa, who was unusually quiet.

"Gee, reminds me of someone I know," joked Troy as he lightly poked Gabriella in the side.

"Hey, I'm sure she has her reasons," defended Gabriella. "I mean, it is the East and West rivalry weighing in again I'm sure. Plus, Tessa hasn't really had a real boyfriend before."

"She hasn't?" asked Jason, surprised by this.

"GABRIELLA!" scolded Tessa, looking directly at her best friend. "Way to make things worse here!"

"Sorry!" returned Gabriella, biting the corner of her lip, thinking of a way to steer this hangout in the right direction from the point it was at now, getting an idea on how to help everything. "Troy, why don't you show the boys the game room? Do you remember where it is?"

"Sure," agreed Troy. "But where are you girls going?"

"Umm, we're just going to go take a walk. I need some fresh air," replied Gabriella, thinking on the spot. "I'm sure you guys would much rather start in on the new games in there."

"New games? Like Wii games or are we talking board games or what?" asked Chad, eyes bright with excitement.

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Well you won't know until you get there now will you?"

"Whatever it is, I'm sure I can beat you," taunted Chad, smirking at Taylor.

Before another argument could erupt between the two, Troy stepped in. "All right. Boys, I can tell where we are not wanted. Let's go check out the latest and greatest. What do you say?"

The guys took one last look at the girls and shrugged as they followed Troy out of the living room and to the game room.

Once they were clearly gone, Taylor, Martha, and Gabriella turned to Tessa, who went back into quiet mode. "All right, they're gone, now what's going on?" demanded Taylor as the four girls sat closer together.

Tessa took a few moments, studying the carpet before looking up at her best friends and the girl she had just met right before Gabriella came into the room, Martha. 'If Gaby and Tay can trust her, I can too I guess. I really do need to talk to someone,' thought Tessa before she finally decided to speak. "So Zeke and I have been hooking up as you know off and on for a few months, even through summer. It hasn't been frequent and often but we have seen each other a few times without anyone else around. He asked me to be his girlfriend last Thursday and I haven't answered him."

"Well do you want to be his girlfriend?" asked Martha, not really knowing the back story to this possible couple.

"I really do like him and he is the sweetest guy but as Gabriella so bluntly pointed out, he would be my first boyfriend ever," returned Tessa.

Gabriella gave her an apologetic smile again. "Again, I'm sorry. But look Tessa, as you pointed out to me several times while trying to get me and Troy working, you have to sometimes take chances and go after what you want. I can tell you really like him, just the way you look at him and he looks at you."

Taylor nodded her agreement. "It's so obvious that even Chad of all people sees it!" pointed out Taylor. "Now that means it is pretty obvious sister."

Tessa rolled her eyes. "I'm just worried about being in the same spot Gaby here was last semester. I don't know if I can be that strong to deal with all the taunting and what not."

"Tessa, are you kidding me? You are one of the toughest girls at East and West put together. You didn't care when they included you in with my name calling and rumors, why would you now?" asked Gabriella, confused with the sudden personality change of her best friend.

"Because it's me and just me they are attacking. I'm better at sticking up for other people than I am for myself," revealed Tessa. "And you Gabriella, you handled it with grace."

"Umm, were you around all those times when I shied away from those whispers? Yes, you definitely were, you were there telling me they didn't matter which is right. All those contributors to the gossip mill don't matter. All that matters is that you are happy and that Zeke makes you happy. I say go for it. Allow yourself to be happy Tessa," pleaded Gabriella. "It's clear you are attracted to him. The question now is it enough to be exclusive."

"Oh yeah because I have all the guys banging on my door to go out with me," replied Tessa in a sarcastic tone.

Taylor ignored her best friend's tone. "Zeke has turned out to be a pretty nice guy," threw in Taylor. "Actually all of the basketball boys seem to be pretty friendly and not the arrogant jocks I once thought after getting to know them. I don't see how you could go wrong here."

Martha nodded her head in agreement. "I may not really know you Tessa but I can tell you that Zeke is one of the sweetest guys. I've also noticed a change in how the guys interact lately with each other and other East High kids and they do seem to be opening up a bit more, being more approachable, which is nice to see."

"And you can thank Gabriella over here for that," returned Taylor with a smile at her friend. "I think had it not been for her and Troy getting together, we'd still be stuck behind social walls where no one intermingled."

"You make it sound like I found the cure for cancer," commented Gabriella, "I actually had nothing to do with that."

"But by being with Troy when you're viewed as a smart girl by the guys got them thinking, even more so about West girls since that's where you were when they met you," stated Taylor. "Which leads us back to Tessa here. So girl, what's it going to be? Are you going to take a chance at maybe finding love before graduation?"

Tessa thought for a few moments, alternating between looking at the carpet in front of her and at the three girls, especially Gabriella, who was giving her an encouraging smile. "I guess I have to take a chance sometime right? And it isn't like I am high profile at West either, I don't have to be too worried, especially as this tension seems to have sizzled out a bit without Riley stirring things. And thank God I don't have him to worry about while tackling this new thing either."

A pained look crossed Gabriella's face at this, making Tessa realize what she had just said. "Oh God Gabriella, I'm sorry," apologized Tessa, moving to wrap an arm around her best friend. "That was way out of line, I'm so sorry."

Gabriella shook her head. "It's true though, you are better off because you don't have Riley around, forcing you into hiding, getting in your face at every turn. You're right Tessa, you are lucky, you can concentrate on what's going on with you and Zeke and not have to worry about an idiot coming between you two constantly, wanting to start fights with him supposedly over you when he just wants a swing at your boyfriend."

"Gaby," started Tessa, worried about Gabriella's current state of mind.

"No, don't," replied Gabriella, shaking her head. "I'm fine, don't worry about me. Do me a favor though Tessa and go for it, be happy as you wanted me to be happy in the late winter. You deserve a real chance at this, just as you do too Taylor with Chad and you Martha with whoever you are crushing on."

Martha shrugged. "Actually I haven't found a guy that I'd really say I'm crushing on but I'd agree about the Taylor and Chad thing."

Taylor stared back at her friends. "Wait a second, how did this go from Tessa telling Zeke yes to me now dating Chad?"

"So you admit it, you are dating Chad," pushed Tessa, now feeling more like herself after her decision regarding Zeke had been made.

Taylor returned Tessa's look, hating how the table had been turned. "Fine, I admit it, I'm crushing on a lunkhead basketball boy who knows exactly how to push my buttons yet I find him strangely endearing. Yes, we've kissed a few times but we're just dating, I'm taking this slow as I'm still trying to wrap my brain around liking the guy against my better judgment."

Gabriella nodded her head in approval. "No one said you had to move fast Taylor. I'm just glad we can get this all out in the open. I really don't want anyone to have to be in the relationship closet anymore. It's too hard to do and as exciting as it may seem from the outside, it really is tough and stressful. I just don't want my good friends and best friends to have to do it, all right?"

The three friends nodded their heads at their friend, knowing that Gabriella spoke from her raw emotions, having experienced the hidden romance, the romance between the two schools, and falling for a guy who was classified as a different social status in high school all in the last eight months or so.

"Excuse me miss, you have three more visitors," announced the butler before bowing and leaving the room, leaving two blondes and a girl with brown curly hair hidden by a hat and a pair of glasses on her face standing in the entryway.

Gabriella immediately got up and smiled at the twins and their friend they had brought. "Come on in Sharpay, Ryan. I'm sorry, I don't know your name," greeted Gabriella, looking at the unfamiliar yet familiar girl.

"This is Kelsi Nielson," introduced Ryan, seeing that his sister was staring at shock as to who was in the room. "We thought we'd stop by to see how you were doing. Your mom kind of mentioned what happened to our mom and we wanted to make sure you were all right but we see you have company so we can go."

Gabriella shook her head. "No, stay, please. We actually have more company in the game room. Why don't we all go?" suggested Gabriella. "Kelsi, do you like to play games?"

"Depends," answered the quiet girl whose eyes lit up as she saw Taylor and Martha also in the room.

Sharpay soon got over her shock and looked at Gabriella. "You are actually friends with these, these commoners?" asked Sharpay, floored that Gabriella, a girl who Sharpay considered to be of equal status of the Evans, would have friends like Taylor and Martha.

Gabriella stared back at the girl. "Yes, I am. This is Tessa Grainger by the way, my other best friend," introduced Gabriella, realizing that they wouldn't know Tessa.

"Hi Tessa," greeted Ryan while Kelsi waved, Sharpay not reacting to the introduction.

"Hey," returned Tessa, looking at the disgusted look that was on the blonde girl's face and then at Taylor's and Martha's shocked expression to see her there. 'Hmm, so the social clique walls strikes again.'

After a few more moments, Sharpay shook her head. "I can see that I may have misjudged you Gabriella. Ryan, let's go," said Sharpay, starting to leave.

Gabriella quickly followed Sharpay and got in front of her. "Don't go Sharpay! Stay here and hang out with us. You've become a friend to me in my first few weeks here and I would like you to see that if you find qualities of a friend in me that you'll see them too in the girls in that room and the guys in the game room. Remember the time we went shopping at the mall and we found those killer purses? Those girls love shopping just as much. Just because they aren't into theater and may not live in mansions doesn't make them a different species you have to stay clear of," pointed out Gabriella. "Please Sharpay? I'd hate to lose you as a friend because you couldn't accept the other people I hang out with."

"She does have a point Sharpay," added Ryan, who had walked up during the discussion. "They aren't half bad when you get to know them."

"And you would know this how Ryan?" snapped Sharpay.

"Because one, they are Gabriella's good friends apparently and she doesn't just pick up with just anyone as far as friends go as we've seen in her first week at East. Second, remember how we were taught at acting camp that one summer when we first started going in elementary school about always being observant, learning people's traits and being able to mimic them? In doing that you learn a lot about a person and I've seen Martha and Taylor in action and they have only ever been friendly to people at school, never talking down to anyone except for maybe the jocks but that's a whole different ballgame," answered Ryan.

Sharpay eyed Gabriella and knew that this would mean a lot to her new friend. "All right, we'll stay. Wait, where is Kelsi anyway?"

The three walked back into the gold living room and saw that Kelsi was immersed in a conversation with the three other girls. "See, even Kelsi is friends with them," commented Ryan.

"I guess but this goes against my better judgment," warned Sharpay. She saw the relieved look on Gabriella's face and smiled, realizing at that moment that Gabriella had become a real friend to Sharpay in the short time after their shopping trip and hanging out here at Gabriella's mansion as well as talking on the phone in the past few weeks with the exception of a good part of last week. "You all right?"

Gabriella looked back to the blonde girl and nodded her head. "Much better now, thanks," answered Gabriella, knowing exactly what Sharpay was referring to. "I'd prefer not talking about it though."

Sharpay nodded her understanding. "I can respect that. So, where's this game room?"

Gabriella smiled and motioned for Sharpay and Ryan to follow her after asking the four girls in the living room if they were going to join. The group of seven teenagers walked through the halls until the reached a room from which there was loud male screaming coming through the closed doors. "Who is in there?" asked Ryan, curious as to who could be making that much noise.

"Oh, just a fraction of the varsity basketball team," answered Taylor, laughing at the astounded look on Sharpay's and Ryan's faces.

"Jocks too?" asked Sharpay, shocked again for the second time in less than ten minutes.

"Basketball players, Shar, just as you and Ryan are thespians and not drama freaks, right?" encouraged Gabriella.

Sharpay sighed. "Fine, let's get this over with," said Sharpay before Gabriella opened the door and led the group in to find Troy, Chad, Zeke, and Jason all seated on one of the long couches, attention solely focused on the large screened TV on which their fighting game was playing via the PS2 console.

"Guys, we're here," announced Taylor, not seeing any recognition of their presence from the guys.

After no response, Gabriella found the answer to at least distract one of them. "Zeke, if you don't stop playing this game, Tessa is going to say no for sure," called out Gabriella, who grinned at seeing Zeke look up and drop the controller in his hands right away.

"You have an answer Tessa?" asked Zeke.

Tessa rolled her eyes at her best friend's tactics. "I do. Why don't we go take a walk around this huge place?"

Zeke quickly got up and crossed in front of the three other guys and walked out of the room with Tessa, a hopeful look on his face. This of course interrupted the concentration that Jason, Troy, and Chad had on the game too so they looked up and were shocked they were seeing Kelsi but especially Ryan and Sharpay standing there in front of them with the girls.

Sharpay smirked at this. "I felt the same way about seeing you guys here too. Guess we have a common friend," commented Sharpay, looking over at Gabriella, who started laughing at the expressions the guys had on their faces still. "I didn't know you were really friends with these clowns Gabriella. I just thought you were being nice in the halls."

"They aren't so bad," answered Gabriella, looking at the three, especially at Troy, who got over his shock and looked over at Gabriella with a smile.

"Well I know Troy isn't but I couldn't say that about the others until today maybe," replied Sharpay as she made her way over with Ryan to talk to Troy.

Gabriella didn't think anything of it and turned around to see Taylor, Kelsi, and Martha whispering about something. "What's going on?" questioned Gabriella as she approached the three.

"Oh, we were speculating on what Tessa is actually saying to Zeke right now," answered Taylor. "Seriously, who ever knew that a crush and romantic feelings could get Tessa to be as quiet as she is right now. Totally not what I am used to from that girl. It kind of freaks me out actually."

"I'm sure they'll be fine," replied Gabriella. "So Kelsi, do I have classes with you? You look really familiar."

The petite girl gave her a small smile. "Two. We have drama and Calculus together."

"Ah, that's where I recognized you from. Well welcome to my home, I'm glad you came with the twins so I could get to know you better," stated Gabriella.

"You'll love her, we do," answered Martha. "We just are friends on the down low at school, right Taylor?"

Taylor rolled her eyes before she agreed. "Clique walls and all but I have to say, you may be changing things for good Gab. First the basketball team opening up, then you got us honor students looking at things different, and now the queen and king of drama? You may seriously leave East a much better place at the end of the school year."

The four girls continued chatting after Gabriella denied her part in the change of social tide again, oblivious as to what was going on across the room.

Troy looked helplessly at Chad and Jason who were happily talking to Ryan while Sharpay sat herself on the arm of the couch, right next to where Troy was sitting, grinning down at him. "Hi Troy," greeted Sharpay in that high and fake sweet tone of hers. "You look fabulous in that blue polo by the way. It really brings out your eyes."

"Umm, thanks," replied Troy, very uncomfortable, as he always was, with being this close to Sharpay. "So, how's, umm, the musicale?"

"Oh, we haven't really started that yet, it's too early still. I'm hurt you don't know that," stated Sharpay, giving Troy a pouty look that he had to admit, Gabriella pulled off way better.

"Sorry, I run on basketball time and golf time," apologized Troy, noticing Chad and Jason quietly laughing as they watched the exchange, Ryan having joined Gabriella's conversation with Taylor, Martha, and Kelsi.

"So homecoming is coming up," said Sharpay. "Have you decided what you're wearing, who you are going with?"

Troy shook his head. "Sharpay, the homecoming dance is weeks away and I know you aren't talking about the game since I never see you at one. Are you really thinking of that now?"

"Well yeah, it's like the only real social event of fall. Why wouldn't I be thinking of it?" questioned Sharpay as Troy felt Sharpay lean in a bit closer. "You do have your pick of the girl population Troy."

Troy abruptly stood up, having had enough, especially knowing he was being laughed at by Jason and Chad at that very moment, almost hitting Sharpay in the process as she was a little bit leaned over where he was sitting. "I think Gabriella wants to talk to me, talk to you later Sharpay?"

He quickly walked over to where the other little group was talking about something and made a show of wrapping his arms around Gabriella's waist, bringing her tight against his body as he rested his chin on her shoulder. Gabriella looked over at his face and saw the mix of panic and relief there. "All right, what's going on Wildcat?"

Just then a high-pitched shriek filled the room, everyone turning around except for Troy, who knew who it was.

"Sharpay, what's wrong?" asked Ryan, running over to his sister who was staring in astonishment at Troy and Gabriella. "What happened?"

"No way! Absolutely no way!" exclaimed Sharpay.

Gabriella looked back at her friend, wondering what the commotion was about. She heard Troy sigh a little before he unwrapped his arms from around her waist and turned around to face Sharpay, holding instead Gabriella's hand firmly in his. "Sharpay, is everything okay?" asked Gabriella.

"You… Troy… Oh my God!" got out Sharpay, not even hearing the snickers that were coming out of Jason and Chad or seeing the curious looks from Taylor, Martha, and Kelsi who knew something was going to happen.

Like a little light bulb turning on in her head, Gabriella suddenly remembered something Taylor or Tessa had told her a little while ago. 'Sharpay has a crush on Troy, doesn't she? Has for a while? Oh God, she's so going to flip.'

Taylor eyed the blonde, wondering what she was going to do. 'Gabriella and Troy are so definitely together, just by looking at them standing there Sharpay must see that bond. She is so going to lose it,' thought Taylor, smiling a little at the sweet justice of the matter.

'Please don't embarrass me,' begged Ryan as he saw the puzzle pieces falling into place in his twin's head. 'They're cute together and you are so not a four-year-old who wants and begs for everything.'

'Dude, I wonder how long her next scream is going to be,' wondered Jason, having heard Sharpay scream enough since elementary school to know that there would be another one if not three screams coming.

Jason wasn't wrong as another shriek filled the room accompanied by a grin that shocked everyone. "That's so fabulous!" exclaimed Sharpay, instantly rushing over to hug Gabriella and Troy, who had no clue what just happened. "I am so glad that Troy picked you Gabriella, you are the only other choice I would want to see him with besides me and I am so off the market anyway. He is nice eye candy though."

"Whoa, are you feeling all right Sharpay?" asked Gabriella, surprised by the onslaught of happiness Sharpay was expressing. "You're okay with this?"

"Of course! I'd rather Troy be with someone he seems to clearly care about and who I respect than some stupid art freak or weirdo. You are so going to be East High's 'It' couple this year!" predicted Sharpay. "Why didn't you tell me you were dating Troy?"

"To be honest, I never really thought of it when we've talked," replied Gabriella.

"Wait, you really don't have a problem with these two?" asked Taylor, beyond shocked at how very different Sharpay's response was than what was predicted.

Chad nodded his head, showing his agreement with Taylor. "I thought you would be trying to murder someone or something," confessed Chad.

Sharpay looked at both of them and scoffed. "As if! I have my own boyfriend in the form of a hunky and rich college guy I met over the summer."

"Then why were you flirting so much with me just now?" asked Troy, finding himself in disbelief.

Ryan stepped in this time. "That's just how she is Troy. Sharpay just acts and talks how she wants to, not realizing she could be offending anyone or making them uncomfortable. She's always been pretty expressive, which also includes flirting."

"Hey, no one ever said having a boyfriend meant you couldn't flirt anymore," protested Sharpay. "Besides, it's clear he knew where his heart lay by the way he ran over to Gabriella. And oh, isn't that so sweet?"

Gabriella looked at her blonde friend, who was staring at Gabriella again. "What is it?"

"You're wearing Troy's sweatshirt! I just noticed the 14 on it!" gushed Sharpay. "Totally sweet!"

Taylor, Martha, and Kelsi all felt themselves stare at the blonde, all in utter shock. Chad, Jason, and Troy were not fairing much better. "You're actually happy for us?" asked Troy, showing his amazement at her behavior.

"Well yeah, why wouldn't I be happy? Did you really think I still wanted you after all this time Bolton? I gave you your chance for four years and you never showed interest so I moved on. You are so yesterday's fashion!" exclaimed Sharpay.

"Whoa, she likened you to clothes dude," commented Jason.

"And here we thought you were the Ice Queen of East High," uttered Chad, grinning at the blonde girl.

"Damn right I am," retorted Sharpay with her classic "better than you" look she'd perfected since she was seven. "But contrary to rumor, I do have a heart, especially when it comes to my friends. Any other girl and maybe I would have had a fit but Gabriella is different."

Troy looked down at his girlfriend and brought intertwined hands up to his lips so he could kiss the back of her hand. "She sure is," murmured Troy, smiling and staring down at Gabriella, making her giggle a little.

"You really are okay? You aren't going to like flip out on us?" ventured Martha. "No huge dramatics?"

"No screaming?" asked Kelsi.

Sharpay put her hands on her hips and surveyed everyone. "All right, seriously, what did you all think I was going to do? Even if I didn't have a boyfriend, you seriously expected me to try to do something about this?"

Chad shrugged. "Yeah but try would be the operative word. See, nothing can tear these two apart now, at least no human being. They've survived a rivalry, secrets, and a huge event already and are still standing. It would take a tsunami to take them down."

Taylor stared and Chad in shock. "Did you just say tsunami? You actually know that weather term? And operative?"

"Well yeah, I do watch the news sometimes Tay," returned Chad.

"Yeah, for the sports," joked Zeke as he came into the room with a grin on his face, holding Tessa's hand in his.

The gang turned their attention on the new couple who both blushed at the attention. "What?" snapped Tessa, causing Sharpay to smirk.

"I may not know you but I think I like you already," commented Sharpay, who now smiled at the girl. "Gabriella, I think you just may be right about this little group you have here."

Gabriella smiled back at Sharpay. "We may be mismatches but we fit perfectly in my book," returned Gabriella, her smile growing as Troy pulled her close to him again as he wrapped his arms back around her waist, dropping a kiss on her forehead.

He grinned as Jason and Chad gagged as per usual. "Whatever you two, your time will come," called out Troy, being rewarded with Chad's classic roll of the eyes.

"So what did we miss?" asked Tessa.

"Oh, just Sharpay surprising us all by not having a tantrum over Gab and Troy," answered Chad, the only brave one to put it in those words.

Ryan chuckled at this. "Hey, I'm just glad she's learned to share and let go," threw in the blonde. "You have no idea how hard of a concept that was for her to learn when we were kids."

Zeke laughed. "I can somehow see that."

"Hey!" protested Sharpay. "What is this, pick on Sharpay day?"

"Yeah guys, lay off her," threw in Gabriella. "She's been the target for long enough here."

"You'd be singing a different tune if Sharpay was still crushing on Troy Gab, trust me," said Taylor.

Sharpay crossed her arms, looking at Taylor. "All right, you all make it seem like I would have created this huge scheme to lure Troy away from Gabriella, dangling power and a scholarship in front of his face to any school he wants in order to get him to be with me. Like I would get him a job at our country club to monopolize his time and try to make him forget all about her. Almost as if you think I am capable of hurting another girl for no other reason than she has the eye candy I want."

When silence greeted her ears, Sharpay shook her head and gave an exasperated sigh. "Hello, this isn't some high school, teenie bopper movie people! As much as you may like to think the worst of me, I really am not that bad."

"Oh good, so we can hang out more," said Jason, draping an arm around her shoulders to which she quickly swatted away.

"Eww, no, I didn't say that," returned Sharpay, moving to stand next to Ryan, who was grinning. "I do still have standards."

Everyone burst into laughter together, including Sharpay, finding amusement in a situation that could have been very different had Sharpay been the true Ice Queen the others thought she was. "Well I'm glad you are not that bad," stated Gabriella, smiling at her friend. "I would have hated to have one of those one on one girl confrontations with you."

"Afraid you'd lose?" asked Ryan, intrigued by Gabriella's view on this.

"No, I'd just hate to lose a girlfriend over a guy," replied Gabriella. "Yet another movie cliché. Find the love of your life but lose a good friend in the process, only to hopefully rekindle the friendship by the end of two hours after the guy turns out to be a jerk."

Troy let out a chuckle. "Are you insinuating something about your boyfriend Miss Montez?"

Gabriella looked up at Troy and laughed. "Unless you want to tell me something, no. I'm just saying that's another common story arch in movies these days."

"Uh huh, sure you are Gab. It's okay, we all know Troy is a big jerk, despite his pretty boy looks!" called out Chad, quickly getting up off the couch after Troy dropped his arms from around Gabriella to go after his best friend, ending the chase when there was a loud and very exaggerated groan of pain heard from the corner of the room, Troy walking away with a grin on his face.

"You and violence," kidded Gabriella as Troy drew near, having seen that Troy only pretended to punch Chad, never actually touching him.

"TAYLOR! I'm hurt!" whined Chad, sitting now in the corner.

Taylor shrugged. "And you want me to do what? Troy didn't even touch you and even if he did, I don't think I would say you didn't deserve it after that mouthful."

"Hey! You're supposed to be on my side!" argued Chad as Jason came to help him back up. "What's that about?"

"Woman's prerogative," replied Taylor very smartly.

Jason slapped Chad on the back. "Face it dude, you're a goner," said Jason with a grin on his face before he plopped back down on the couch where Kelsi, Martha, and Taylor were now sitting.

"How about we redirect this energy to an actual game?" suggested Zeke. "Basketball anyone?"

All the girls in the room, especially Sharpay, groaned. "No, try again," returned Tessa.

"We could play spin the bottle," suggested Sharpay, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

The guys all looked at each other and shook their heads together. "No way sis! I am not chancing having to lock lips with you," protested Ryan.

"Oooh, speaking of, seven minutes in heaven!" called out Chad, getting an actual smack on his arm from Taylor.

"No!" stated Taylor.

Jason, Troy, and Zeke chuckled. "Guess she doesn't want to kiss you any time soon," joked Jason.

"Shut up J," returned Chad. "I didn't want to kiss her anyway. I wanted to kiss Kelsi."

"ME?" squeaked the quiet girl. "No!"

This made more laughter fill the room at Chad getting shot down twice in two minutes. "Just face it man, you can't catch a break with these girls," kidded Zeke.

"Although, if you're interested, I'll kiss you," offered Ryan as he walked closer to Chad, who quickly backed up and hit the billiards table. "Pucker up Chadykins."

"EWW! NO!" yelled Chad, scrunching up his face with his hands palms forward in front of him as he saw a few flashes of light in his peripheral vision and heard the laughter of his friends fill the room.

Just as Ryan got a hair's breath away from Chad's lips, he pulled away suddenly with a grin on his face. "Sorry Chad, you're not my type either. Contrary to popular belief at East, I am straight and would prefer any girl over you any time," stated Ryan, getting a high five from Zeke and Jason.

Chad stood back up, straightening his back and glaring at the group. "Oh, so you think that's all funny huh?"

"Actually yeah, these pictures prove it too," shouted out Gabriella, waving her digital camera in the air.

"You so did not!" exclaimed Chad.

"Oh, she so definitely did," responded Troy, a grin on his face. He saw that change in Chad's eyes and knew Gabriella was in for it. "Gabriella, run!"

Gabriella slipped her camera into the hoodie's pocket and started running, hiding behind Tessa first and then Zeke and then Troy, who was the best blocker before the group of friends banded together and started throwing around a digital camera between them, laughing hard as Chad chased it while Gabriella took more pictures with her camera she had slipped in the pocket. After about fifteen minutes of trying, Chad finally tackled Zeke and grabbed the camera, eagerly turning it on to erase the pictures but frowning as he just saw images of the girls on it in the three pictures on the card.

"Hey, where'd they go?" asked Chad, looking around and spying Gabriella's innocent looking face. "Oh no way!"

"Face it Chad, you were outsmarted by a girl," teased Tessa, grinning as she knew how much he would hate that dig.

"Who now has embarrassing pictures of you to boot," added Martha.

Zeke couldn't resist throwing in his own humiliating words. "And she's what, half your size but twice your IQ?"

"And who definitely does not want to kiss you," stated Troy, looking at his friend with a smirk.

Chad stood up and grinned back at his best friend. "Oh yeah? How about we ask her to answer that herself? How about it Gab, will you kiss me and shut all these fools up?"

Gabriella looked into Chad's brown eyes and then back up to Troy's blue ones before smiling. Before anyone saw it coming, Gabriella leaned in and kissed Chad on the cheek, softly and sweetly, pulling away with a smile on her face. "Truce?"

Chad grinned back, a little bit of a blush on his cheeks. "Truce," agreed Chad. "You picked a good one Bolton."

"I know, you don't have to tell me that," replied Troy, pulling Gabriella back to him so that she was back in his arms, leaning her head against his chest. "Now go flirt with your own girl, mine is currently already taken."

The girls all let out wistful sighs as Troy and Gabriella looked at each other in the eyes just then and leaned in, sharing a kiss that was deep and obviously meaningful. Tessa grinned at the couple, secretly admiring both of them for keeping it so together through the most trying of times. 'It may not be easy at all for them but they sure make it look that way,' thought Tessa, smiling at Zeke as he leaned over and kissed her cheek, reminding her she now had her own boyfriend and possible happy ending in the romance department for the first time in her life.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

On Wednesday of the following week, the gang found themselves congregating around a common table they had all gotten used to in East High's cafeteria minus Tessa, who was definitely missing them while she was in the halls of West High at that moment. Paul and Curtis were also sitting amongst the teenagers. Over the past week and a half, Gabriella's prediction of everyone ending up getting along great came true as the now group of friends shared in some laughter and jokes at the same lunch table that they had started to share the middle of last week.

Troy grinned over at her and chuckled a little to himself. 'She really is adorable with that deep in thought look she has,' thought Troy, happy to see that his girlfriend not only returned to school last week but seemed to have also returned to her old self mostly. There had been a few times in the past week that she negatively reacted to his touch at first before realizing who he was and relaxed in his hold. Those moments were still hard for Troy to deal with but he knew they were nothing compared to what she was going through.

"You know, you are the reason why we are all sitting here right?" murmured Troy, interrupting Gabriella's thoughts as he slipped his right arm around her waist, curling his hand to hold her waist while he took a bite out of his sandwich with his left hand. "You are pretty influential for a self-proclaimed little girl."

"And you are trying to kiss up why?" questioned Gabriella, turning her head towards him and raising an eyebrow. "Did you do something that you're feeling guilty about or something?"

Troy gave her a playful hurt look. "Me? Misbehave? Never!"

Gabriella laughed a little. "I would only believe that if Chad wasn't with you most of your waking moments. I've learned you two get into quite a bit if given the opportunity."

"Maybe," admitted Troy. "I do mean it though, I don't think I'd have ever thought back in freshman year or earlier even that I would be sitting at a lunch table with my good friends on the team and people from the honors track and thespians, as they like to be called, who are also people I would consider as friends. Not to mention, I have a gorgeous girlfriend who is a former West Knight and who has a secret that very well raises her above my reach."

"And yet here I am," teased Gabriella, kissing Troy on the nose briefly before feeding him some of her string cheese. "You make me sound so wonderful Troy. If only that was all the truth."

Troy rolled his eyes and pulled a face. "You and your self image issues, seriously! Would I be with you if you were anything less than perfectly wonderful?"

"Umm, my hope is yes," returned Gabriella, a bit more serious. "Wouldn't you? I mean, I'm flawed now as I sit here today."

"And you figure that how?" prompted Troy, turning around in his seat and facing his body towards hers, giving her his full attention, not even biting into his sandwich now.

Gabriella thought for a moment and then said, "Well, there's how I keep obsessing over the past instead of living for the now, how paranoid I am, what a neat freak I can be, and I am highly emotional. There's also how I bite my lip when I get nervous or think, how I get jealous of girls who flirt with you in such bold manners, and how I still find myself heads over heels in love with you for sticking through all this mess with me, faltering not once where I would have expected you to be long gone by now."

"Ouch," responded Troy, putting a hand over his heart and comically wincing in pain. "Straight through the heart there much. You think that little of me?"

Gabriella shrugged her shoulders. "You are a young man Troy who has plenty of girls to choose from. You're the popular guy in the school and I mean we're both young. Sometimes I do wonder how I got so lucky to have you, to have someone who seems to understand me better than I do myself sometimes."

Troy brushed back some of her hair, smiling as he thought about this more. "See, this is what makes you so perfectly wonderful. You can sit there and name all your supposed flaws, including loving me and being jealous at times, and then tell me such heartfelt things like you just did. You are wonderfully expressive Brie and I love you for that."

"Hello! People trying to eat here!" complained Chad before he got smacked by Taylor, who was enjoying the little dialogue between the couple who had just been staring in that mesmerizing manner that would make any girl in the cafeteria sigh out of the sweetness of it.

"You are such a moron sometimes!" exclaimed Taylor, giving Chad a disapproving look for interrupting Troy and Gabriella's special moment. "Just because they are romantically involved does not give you an excuse to be all big mouth and interrupt it for the fun of it."

Chad rubbed the back of his head. "But it's fun," protested Chad, earning chuckles from Jason and Zeke. "See, they agree!"

Sharpay this time smacked both Jason's and Zeke's arms as they were sitting on either side of her. "Idiotic morons is more like it Tay!"

Ryan smirked at this, glad he was sitting across the table from his twin and next to Kelsi and Troy. "Stings like a mother huh guys? Who do you think she practices that on?"

Both Jason and Zeke were rubbing their arms. "I think I officially feel bad for you Ryan," murmured Zeke. "Wait until I tell Tessa you are beating me up at school Sharpay!"

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "Right, like she's really going to believe I could beat you up. Besides, I'll be seeing her before you anyway!"

"Who says?" returned Zeke.

"Me," replied Gabriella.

"Huh?" asked Jason. "Are you having a party and not inviting us or something?"

Gabriella shook her head. "No, not really. Just a girls' night in to study."

Chad looked around at the table and laughed. "Right, a girls' night to 'study.' Why do I not believe that's all you are going to be doing? And who is going?"

"Oh, just Gabriella as host, me, Kelsi, Martha, Sharpay, Tessa, and maybe Beth and Sarah if they are free," explained Taylor. "What's the matter Danforth? Scared?"

"Of a bunch of girls getting together to 'study', which actually means gossip? YES!" exclaimed Chad. "Do you understand how much guys dread this type of night?"

"Why exactly would that be?" asked Kelsi, curious as to what the commotion was about, looking up from her composition notebook.

"Because we all know that you girls just pretend to study to get away from us guys to gossip about us," stated Jason. "Like who is the cutest and what not."

"To be fair, I'm sure you also talk about who has better skin, what the latest rumors are about other girls, and maybe a little bit about school work too but the big topic of any girls' night has to be guys," stated Ryan. "Trust me, I've heard my sister's slumber parties for years through our shared wall."

"RYAN EVANS!" screamed Sharpay, turning a bit red in the face. "You never told me you could hear us!"

"Well why would I? I learned some of the best stuff I've ever heard that way," returned Ryan with a grin.

"More reason why we're glad Gabriella is an only child," stated Martha, laughing at Sharpay, who looked ready to leap over the table at her brother.

"You are such a little creep!" yelled Sharpay, loud enough to get the attention of students at other nearby tables. "I'm so going to get you for that Ryan!"

Ryan chuckled. "I'd like to see you try Drama Queen!"

"Siblings, back in your corners!" joked Chad. "Man, I don't know Ryan how you've lived so long."

"Because he deserves a real solid beating right?" stated Sharpay, still upset her brother had heard things over the years when she thought he couldn't.

Chad shook his head. "No, because you seem to want to kill him every chance you get but then you can be so sisterly to him the next moment. It's like a roller coaster."

"Hey, Chad said it, not me!" defended Ryan as Sharpay started to glare at him again.

Sharpay nodded. "He did but I can't hurt him like I can hurt you. Blood siblings, remember?"

"Guess sometimes, as much as things change, some never do," commented Kelsi before she turned back to her composition book, shutting out the continued arguments of the twins amongst the chatter of the rest of the group.

It was Gabriella who started hearing the whispers around the cafeteria first, seeing Ryan had started listening in on them too shortly after.

"Can you believe it? They are all actually… friendly."

"I thought it was a joke, I thought the other jocks put them up to it."

"Why would they be interested in those girls? Cheerleaders are so much better."

"I can't believe they sank so low to hang out with brain dead basketball players."

"Are they insane to be hanging out with the drama kids? That DQ over there should be ripping them into pieces."

"I heard one of them is dating a West girl."

"No, the West girl is now the East girl starting all this humiliation. How could she think she could make this happen? It defies all high school social rules."

"You expect her to know? She's a little miss nobody who just got lucky landing the star basketball player."

"Lucky is key. I heard she did the whole West team and transferred to start fresh with a new team."

"Can you believe the scholastic decathlon captain is flirting with the jock? Talk about opposites attract!"

"How can that music girl be friends with such a weird crowd?"

"You mean how can the popular boys be friends with such a quiet girl?"

"And that smart girl who also dances? Talk about total confusion!"

"Who do they think they are to be all friends like that? It's all that new girl's fault I bet. Everything was fine before she came."

"I agree. East High was such the perfect little high school until Gabriella Montez arrived," agreed Alicia, smiling maliciously in Gabriella's direction, being one of the voices of many Gabriella heard from around the cafeteria.

Ryan looked over at his friend and caught her gaze. "Don't worry about them, they're idiots," assured Ryan. "I'm glad you came. We are certainly much better and not worse for it."

Troy had also heard some of the murmurs and pulled Gabriella into his arms. "Ryan is right babe, they're just a bunch of immature high school kids. What would you expect at a place like this? Don't worry about them."

Gabriella nibbled on her corner lip. "Could you imagine what they would do if they knew who I really was?" whispered Gabriella, low enough so only Troy could hear her while she rested her head on his shoulder.

"You mean what you are, not who you are," reminded Troy. "Sure they'd freak but you know what? You know who your friends are, you know who loves you. That's what matters the most, right? Remember, 'no one can make you feel inferior without your consent'."

She smiled, having her worry and stress from the moment wash away at his words. "You really do make me feel so much better, all the time, without me having to say a word even at times."

They shared a sweet little kiss before turning back to their lunches, knowing the usual groans and fake gags would come soon if they didn't break it up. 'Maybe we did decide a few weeks ago not to be the PDA couple but it's just too hard sometimes,' thought Troy with a grin on his face as he watched Gabriella take a dainty bite out of her sandwich, chuckling at how very well-mannered she was in contrast with Chad, two seats down, who was devouring his second sandwich as if it would run away. "Dude, don't worry man, I don't think the sandwich is going to disappear if you don't eat it right away."

Chad gave him a confused look so Troy just waved him off, chuckling again before focusing on eating his own lunch, holding Gabriella's hand in his under the table at the same time.

- - -

"HOW DO YOU HAVE THIS?" demanded Sharpay, coming out of Gabriella's walk-in closet, Tessa close on her heels. "Gabriella Montez, I demand to know how you have this exclusive Versace dress you haven't ever worn?"

Gabriella glanced up from her notebook where she was studying her notes for the AP English exam next Tuesday. "Sharpay, I'm studying here. As you should be too unless you want to prove the guys right."

"I could care less about the guys. Tell me, how do you have this plus other outfits I see in your closet that I couldn't even get my hands on?" persisted Sharpay.

Tessa gave Gabriella an apologetic look over Sharpay's shoulder. "Shar, it's clear Gabriella is trying to study," argued Tessa, trying to get her best friend out of this. "Let's just look at the other clothes, all right?"

"No, I want an answer. How?" pushed Sharpay, a determined look on her face.

Gabriella sighed, putting down her pencil while Taylor, Kelsi, and Martha gave her their attention as well from where they were studying. "Sharpay, if you must know, my dad knows someone who is close to…"

"SHUT UP! NO WAY!" exclaimed Sharpay. "That's it, you are so hooking me up on these exclusive deals! All right, now that demand has been issued, Tessa let's look in that closet and see what other goodies we can find. Oh, and Gabriella? I'm borrowing this."

"Fine," returned Gabriella, inwardly relieved she got off that easy. She glanced over at Taylor, who gave her a knowing smile before they both returned their attention to the books and notebooks in front of each of them. Gabriella focused on reading the notes she took in class from last week but could hear the little squeals from both Sharpay and Tessa as they discovered more in her closet. 'As long as they don't go into the boxes, I'll be okay. Tessa knows to not sniff around too deep in there.'

After another hour of letting the four girls study uninterrupted, Sharpay and Tessa both jumped on the bed where Gabriella and Taylor were laying down studying. "Break time!" yelled Tessa. "Come on, I come all the way here and all you guys are really going to do is study?"

"Umm, yeah, that's why it's called a study time," replied Taylor.

"Duh but the words 'girls' night' were also mentioned," responded Sharpay.

Gabriella looked at the blonde and brunette and started giggling. "What?" demanded Tessa.

"I'm just realizing how very much alike you two actually are. It's quite hysterical actually," explained Gabriella between giggles. "Especially in your case Tessa."

"What? You've always known I love going through your closet," protested Tessa, trying to give Gabriella an intimidating look to quiet her down.

Taylor, who was also laughing, stepped in. "Right but I don't think we've ever seen you get so super excited and saying 'fabulous' like Miss Pink over here."

"Hey!" exclaimed Sharpay. "There is nothing wrong with pink or the word fabulous. In fact, they are… fabulous!"

Kelsi rolled her eyes. "Honestly, this is the behavior the guys are expecting girls. Not studying and discussing silly things like clothes."

"Oh you did not say clothes are silly Kelsi!" said Sharpay in disbelief. "You just don't know what you are missing."

"Sharpay, it's fabric sewn together to cover your naked form so you don't get laughed at in the halls. Not the cure for some terrible disease," stated Martha, going back to her notebook.

Sharpay huffed in frustration. "You girls are clearly deprived if you don't know how important fashion really is. I bet you haven't even heard of Fashion Week let alone gone."

"You got us there Sharpay," deadpanned Taylor.

"Come on, we have to do something besides watch you study," pleaded Tessa. "Please Gaby?"

Gabriella sighed. "All right, like what? Not too long, I really do need to study for this test."

"Gaby, when is that test?" questioned Tessa, knowing her studying habits of her best friend too well.

"Next week," returned Gabriella in a quiet voice.

"Exactly! Now, come on, let's see if there's anything on this big TV of yours," said Tessa, grabbing the remote from the nightstand next to the bed and turning it on. She flipped the channels and found some of the latest music videos, which caught Martha's attention as well. Sharpay settled back down on the bed and watched with them for a little while before she started texting someone.

"Who are you texting Shar?" asked Gabriella, curious as to what her friend was doing.

"Oh, just my boyfriend. Did I tell you he's a fourth? Michael Thomas Williams the fourth! How dignified sounding is that?" returned Sharpay, a huge grin on her face. "He is so perfect for me."

"The fourth? Sounds like it just by that, really," murmured Taylor before watching Sharpay get back to texting.

There was a commercial break so Tessa changed the channel to see what else was on and stopped as she saw the headline on the news channel at the bottom of the screen, "Mystery Federal Case in New Mexico." Tessa glanced over to Gabriella, who nodded her head for Tessa to keep the channel there as the reporter began speaking again.

"Yes, that's right, I'm standing out here in front of the United States New Mexico district, tenth circuit court house where the case against a teenage boy named Riley Sutton will start a week from Monday. The mystery here is why a teenage boy is being tried as an adult for first degree sexual assault and two additional counts of aggravated assault on a federal level. Not much has been disclosed to the public about the case as minors are involved but it is known that Riley Sutton was a junior who attended West High in Albuquerque, New Mexico up until a few months ago when he was arrested and had his bail set higher than normal for his list of supposed offenses. Rumors have been circulating in Albuquerque as to what actually happened and who is involved but as I am a factual reporter, I will not be airing those interviews. The truth will come out in another week and a half when the first day of the trial begins and we see more of this story revealed. Until then, I'm Tracy White reporting from New Mexico," concluded the reporter before the news station went to another story.

Gabriella stared at the television, a bit in shock at the sudden wakeup call that just happened to remind her that life was not as simple as it used to be. 'The trial, how did I forget it was so close, even for a second?'

"Gab, you okay?" asked Taylor, concerned with how pale her best friend had gotten. "It's just a stupid news story."

"Yeah, the first of millions," threw in Sharpay, getting a hard glare from both Tessa and Taylor. "What? It's so true!"

"Not helping," muttered Tessa. "Gaby, come on girl, you knew this was coming. Your dad has talked about it in front of us."

Gabriella blinked a few times before nodding her head. "I know but I guess somewhere in my head I convinced myself it wasn't that big of a deal and that it wasn't any time soon but it is, a week and a half away roughly if that reporter is right."

"Gabriella, why is it a federal case?" asked Kelsi, picking up on the fact that Riley's assault before summer shouldn't be elevated that high on its own.

"I'm sorry, I can't discuss it," said Gabriella, grateful that she was telling the truth this time. "I was told not to speak about the specifics of the case with anyone who isn't involved."

"But we know what happened," countered Martha. "I mean, from what little you've said."

Gabriella nodded her head. "I know, and I want to tell you but right now is not the right time. I don't want to jeopardize anything and have Riley let go for me blabbing my mouth. I'm sorry."

Kelsi gave Gabriella a reassuring smile. "If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't want to give Riley a free ticket to roam the streets either so I don't blame you one bit. Just know we are here okay?"

"Thanks," murmured Gabriella as she heard a familiar ringtone go off.

Tessa knew that ringtone's assigned owner and rolled her eyes as she grabbed it. "Bolton, what are you doing calling and interrupting girls' night?" demanded Tessa, grinning at Gabriella as she listened to Troy.

"Hello to you too Tessa. Nice to hear your voice again. I just wanted to check on Brie, make sure she was all right," explained Troy.

"Don't you think we can handle it here? I mean, there are five of us caring girls here for her in the same room as her. What are you going to do several miles away?" challenged Tessa.

"I'm actually just down the street," revealed Troy. "If you say she's fine though, I'll turn around and leave. I just wanted to be here in case she needed me."

"Seriously Troy, you need to stop being this sweet of a boyfriend or I will get jealous," said Tessa. "Here's your little girlfriend."

Gabriella gladly took the phone from Tessa and got up off the bed to walk over to the little couch in the retreat area of her bedroom. "Hi," greeted Gabriella, a bit of shyness in her voice.

"Hey Brie," returned Troy. "Tessa is still Tessa huh? Glad that hasn't changed."

"And you expected it to since the last time you talked to her because?" responded Gabriella, laughing a little.

"Well I'm glad you are able to laugh. I just wanted to call and make sure you were okay. The local news station had a blurb about the case being federal and starting a week from Monday. I wanted to make sure you were all right," explained Troy. "I mean, you've been doing great and all but I didn't know if this would trigger something somehow."

"Thanks Troy for being ever so sweet but I promise, I'm doing fine," assured Gabriella, getting up from the couch and walking in front of her windows, looking up into the night sky. "It's just a reality check right? Things are not normal, I'm not normal, as much as I wish I was. Sometimes I wake up wondering what it would be like if I didn't have this highly complicated life, if I could just be me and take away everything that's happened. What would it be like? Would I be happier or would it somehow sadly be worse?"

She heard Troy sigh before he said, "You really don't wish everything in the past was different do you? I am part of your past Brie and no matter what, my wish is that you never want to strike that part of your life out."

"No, I wouldn't," answered Gabriella softly. "Wildcat, you are the best thing about my past, through and through. I don't think I would have made it this far without you."

"Yes you would have because you'd still be the strong young woman you are today. Anyway, if you're all right, I'll head home," replied Troy. "I left Chad and Jason playing a video game at my house to drive over in case you needed me."

"Wait, you're here?" questioned Gabriella. "Where are you?"

Troy chuckled. "Right in front of you. Do you see off in the distance, beyond the iron fence a silhouette of a truck? That's me babe."

"Well if you're here, why don't you come in?" returned Gabriella, smiling at the fact that Troy was so dedicated to her and their love that he left behind his best friends at his house to be there for her.

"Girls' night. Let's leave it at that," stated Troy, chuckling as he spoke. "I've seen a mini session and I really don't want to be in the same room as what is going on in there when Sharpay and Tessa BOTH are in the mix. I'd end up with makeup and a dress on in no time."

Gabriella laughed at the image Troy just described. "You do know that we aren't eight right and this isn't a sleepover?"

"Well, yeah, but I also know that you are seventeen and still prone to mischief. I'll talk to you tomorrow at school all right? I love you Brie," said Troy, his voice getting huskier as he admitted his feelings.

"I love you too Troy and thank you, for being there for me, even when you aren't here," replied Gabriella, blowing him a kiss even though she couldn't tell if he really saw her from that distance.

She hung up the phone and turned around to see five faces all looking at her with curious looks on their faces. "What?" asked Gabriella, feeling the blush on her cheeks warm her face.

"Nothing," they all chimed in before dissolving into fits of giggles and laughter. While Gabriella had been talking to Troy, all five friends decided that they needed to keep Gabriella's mind occupied and off the upcoming trial and they intended to do that with a real girls' night, even if it was for only another hour or so. As soon as Gabriella sat back down on her bed, there were laughter, giggles, and definitely girl talk in the air, effectively keeping Gabriella's earlier worries and stress at bay, allowing her at least one more night of being happy before she had to face whatever came her way the next morning.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"Someone pinch me, I still cannot believe we are here!" exclaimed Tessa as she set foot on the warm Hawaiian beach sand for the second time in their little extended weekend getaway.

Annette laughed good naturedly at her daughter's best friend. "Trust me Tessa, this beach is real, the sun is real, and yes, this warmth is real," assured Annette, smiling at the teenage girl who was excitedly scanning the beach for the best spot to situate themselves.

"Thank you again Mrs. Montez for taking us along with you on this trip," said Taylor, walking up to where Annette and Tessa were standing. "This has been such an amazing time already and it's been less than twenty-four hours!"

"Unfortunately, we don't have the opportunity to have a real vacation but I'm glad you two came along on this little three day excursion. I know Gabriella appreciates that you are here with her," replied Annette, glancing over to see Gabriella walking at a slower pace with Troy, their two hands holding each other's tightly. "They do look happy together don't they?"

Tessa and Taylor both looked back and saw the blissfully happy couple. "I have to hand it to the guy, he's surprised me by how well he treats her and how well he knows her to anticipate exactly what she needs," confessed Taylor. "I never would have suspected a lunkhead basketball guy, err, basketball player could be like that."

Annette smiled at Taylor. "It's all right, I know you have your own terminology as they do I'm sure for you girls. I'm just glad that you all can be friends, it's made it easier on Gabriella. I know she was worried about having all these separate people she wanted to hang out with. And about this trip here to Maui? Consider it Stephen's and my thank you to you two and Troy for being there for our daughter. I don't know where she'd be without you all."

Tessa smirked. "She'd probably be best friends with Sharpay and very well versed in everything expensive yet fashionable," joked Tessa, earning giggles from Taylor, who could see that image without a problem. "But she'd still be sweet intelligent Gaby, no matter what her fashion style is."

"Hey, stop teasing me. I still can't believe you got me to buy this swimsuit yesterday at the store either," commented Gabriella as she and Troy finally joined the little group. "Mom, where's Dad?"

"Oh, somewhere around the hotel grounds I'm sure," replied Annette, not very bothered where Stephen was at the moment. "He had some things he wanted to read and what not so I hope you four don't mind but I wanted to get out and enjoy this beautiful Maui weather and scenery, not be stuck in some room."

"Not at all Mrs. Montez. We owe you much more than just allowing you to spend beach time with us," answered Troy. "However, I think I am going to look quite the ladies' man with four beautiful women around me out here on a gorgeous beach."

"Charmer alert, charmer alert!" teased Tessa, grinning as Troy shot her a look. "Come on, let's go find some chairs! I only have twenty four hours left to tan!"

"Yes maam," returned Troy, trudging ahead with Tessa to help her move the beach lounge chairs from the stack they were in to the spot Tessa decided would be theirs for the day.

Annette looked at her daughter and couldn't help but feel happy as she saw the relaxed and joyous look on Gabriella's face as she watched Troy and Tessa set up their spot while clearly teasing each other. 'She needed this little vacation more than anything. I don't know how she'll react after sitting in that court room for opening statements on Monday, having her own identity of at least her name and face revealed to the press, but I think Stephen was very right in suggesting a little getaway for her. Thank God for understanding parents too who let Troy, Taylor, and Tessa be taken out of school on Friday with Gabriella so that we could all leave on a flight first thing Friday morning to really try to maximize this time here.'

Gabriella and Taylor had gone off ahead to help move the chairs in the exact positions Tessa wanted, Gabriella sensing that her patient boyfriend may try to hurt her best friend out of frustration at Tessa's constantly changing demands. They spread out the towels they had checked out at the poolside desk and laid their stuff down.

Troy sat down as he took off his shirt, tossing it at the top of the chair and kicking his sandals off, glad that he had put on sun block before they left the hotel room so he didn't have to worry about it again. He stared out at the ocean, thinking the same thoughts that Tessa had earlier, that he was simply blessed and lucky to be here at all, let alone with Gabriella. 'Brie,' he thought, turning his attention to Gabriella, who had just retied the red bikini string behind Taylor's neck. Troy watched, feeling himself transfixed, as Gabriella stepped out of her sandals and began to unwind the purple sarong from around her body, revealing an almost skin tight brown tankini with a purple and violet design going up one side. He felt himself stop breathing for a few moments before he heard a snicker from Tessa and tore his eyes away from his girlfriend.

"Hey, if you look that way now, imagine how you would have looked if she had bought this sexy little black bikini she tried on yesterday. You would have died Bolton, I guarantee it, but girlfriend here thought it was too much for little innocent her," teased Tessa.

"Tessa, let her have her modesty if she wants," scolded Taylor, who had just laid down on the chair. "We all don't have to be flashy like you."

Tessa looked down at her bright blue string bikini and then back to Taylor's red bikini that did admittedly have more material. "So? I'm comfortable with my body."

"And so are we," argued Taylor. "Just not into flaunting it like Miss Thing that you are."

"But you wouldn't be Tessa if you weren't," threw in Gabriella, smiling at her best friends. "Besides, this is more revealing than I would have picked out on my own so be satisfied with that, will ya?"

She felt Troy's muscular arms wrap around her waist as he nuzzled her neck. "I still think you're damn sexy in that swimsuit. You've got my imagination running."

Gabriella rolled her eyes as she playfully slapped an arm. "Troy! My mother is right there less than five feet behind you!"

"And I may not have heard what you said but from Gabriella's reactions, I can tell they weren't all that gentlemanlike," commented Annette, laughter dancing in her eyes as she saw the teenage boy in front of her flush. "Keep it PG-13 Troy, that's all I ask."

"Got it," agreed Troy, dropping his arms from around Gabriella, trying his best to ignore Tessa's laughter as he sat down and laid back on the beach chair between Annette and Gabriella.

After two hours of tanning, Annette decided it was time to go in to find Stephen as she was worried about the plans he was working on in the hotel suite. She got up and grabbed her stuff, kissing Gabriella on her cheek and saying good-bye to the teenagers as a group before officially leaving the beach area.

Tessa opened her left eye and groaned as she saw Troy and Gabriella sort of turn towards each other. "Just because your mother isn't here doesn't mean you can get all mushy on us here," called Tessa, laughing as she heard both of their groans.

"Come on Brie, let's go play in the water, far, far away from the evil vixen over there," said Troy, getting up and giving Gabriella a hand up. They walked into the water and slowly made their way in, Troy putting his hands around Gabriella's waist as he helped her over a few waves that would have otherwise submerged her in the ocean.

"You know, you could lay off them a bit," commented Taylor while she watched the couple from the shore next to Tessa.

"I know but it's too damn fun, especially riling up Troy," admitted Tessa. "If he didn't get all flustered about it, it wouldn't be any fun."

Taylor rolled her eyes. "You do realize you embarrass our best friend at the same time though right? Making her want to duck and hide?"

"She's tough, she can handle it," replied Tessa, grinning as she saw Troy plant a firm, solid kiss on Gabriella's lips while she wound her arms around his neck to bring him closer. "Much like how she handles Troy no doubt."

Taylor shook her head at hearing this and scanned the beach, noticing for the first time some people who were dressed in jeans and shirts with tennis shoes on, snapping pictures and taking footage of something in the water. She looked at where they were angled and scanned the water for their point of interest, wondering if there was a shark maybe, and lost her breath as she realized they were capturing Troy and Gabriella as they played in the water together. "SHIT!" exclaimed Taylor, not even realizing she swore.

"WHAT?" asked Tessa, sitting up again, looking at her best friend panicked. "What is it?"

"I don't know if Gab is tough enough for all that," replied Taylor, directing Tessa towards the little paparazzi group to their left and also some others to their right and in front of them.

"SHIT! She's going to have a fit," expressed Tessa, wondering what to do. "How do they know who she is and where she is for that matter? How long have they been here?"

Taylor shook her head, getting up and gathering all of their stuff together, including Gabriella's and Troy's things as she realized they would have to leave immediately. "I have no idea. They could have been here for a long time with us just sunbathing like we were. Do you want to go and get them or should I?" asked Taylor.

"What do you mean?" asked Tessa, watching Taylor pack everything up. "We are so not going to let these stupid paparazzi people ruin our little vacation in HAWAII Tay!"

"No, we aren't," agreed Taylor. "However I'm sure there is a place somewhere on this island where we can escape the shutterbugs. Now, you or me in the water to rescue our friends?"

"I'll do it," replied Tessa, getting up and running between photographers and into the ocean, wading out to Gabriella and Troy, who were currently in a passionate lip lock. "Umm guys, I hate to break this up…"

Troy pulled away from Gabriella and groaned. "Then don't Tess."

"Well okay but Tay wanted me to come out here and tell you that there are a bunch of paparazzi people stalking you two right now," revealed Tessa. "She thought you may want to leave the beach and public view in hopes of finding a more private sanctuary but if you don't mind being on the front page like this…"

"SHIT!" yelled Gabriella as she turned around to see people with cameras pointed right at them.

"Why do we all react with that word?" wondered Tessa out loud before she followed Troy and Gabriella out of the ocean, Troy's arm wrapped securely around his girlfriend in a protective gesture.

"Princess Gabriella! How are you doing?" shouted one man while another screamed, "Is this your boyfriend? What's your name son?"

"Leave us alone," growled Troy, taking the towel Taylor offered him and wrapping Gabriella in it securely, slipping her sunglasses on over her face and putting the hat Tessa had thrown at him on her head before he wrapped his towel around his body.

"How much longer were you really hoping to keep your royal blood out of the eye of the world?"

"Do your grandparents, the King and Queen of Copanvy, approve of this relationship?"

"How long are you in Maui for?"

"Will you testify during the trial?"

"Princess Gabriella, please, look over here!"

Gabriella's mind was whirling by the time the four teenagers made it back to the hotel building itself, having run from the clicking cameras and thousands of questions from the beach, not stopping until they were in the elevator going up to the suite. She had felt suffocated when the press and paparazzi had closed in around her and was very grateful Troy, Paul, and some of the other security team were there to help her escape before they ran away to the hotel. Currently, Troy was rubbing Gabriella's right arm up and down as he held her close to his side, vowing he would do his best to keep those photographers away from Gabriella as much as possible. Tessa and Taylor looked on sympathetically, knowing for sure that Gabriella's life would never go back to the way it was.

Taylor led the group into their own suite and were not surprised after a few minutes that the door opened again to reveal Paul, Curtis, Annette, and Stephen. "Are you all right?" asked Annette, rushing over to her daughter and holding Gabriella's hands. "Paul said they swarmed you."

Gabriella shrugged. "They were pretty aggressive but we ran pretty fast to put them behind me. How did they know I was a princess?"

Stephen shook his head. "A tabloid reporter bought the story from a not so trustworthy associate of mine for lots of money. I just got a call to tip me off the story broke a little while ago and then Paul's transmission about you being hounded already just made it all real. Are you sure you are okay?"

She nodded her head. "I'm fine, just wondering what this means now though."

"To put it simply Gabriella, it means you have to take full responsibility of your role in Copanvy's ruling. We can't hide it any longer sweetie, I'm sorry," replied Stephen, looking like he really did mean every word. "If the commotion downstairs is any indication, your time in the public's eye as who you are, no secrets, is now and it will only increase on Monday with the trial starting."

"Stephen!" scolded Annette. "Can't you see you're scaring her?"

Stephen looked at Gabriella and saw how pale she had gotten. "I'm sorry Gabriella, I truly am, but you need to know what's going to happen. I can't protect you from this, not the way I want to shield you at least. We'll increase the security team when we get back home and you are not to go anywhere for the rest of the trip without Paul and his team, all right?"

Gabriella gave Paul a half smile. "Have your own team now huh?"

Paul smiled back. "Hey, we have an official princess on our hands now who has friends who would do anything for her, including helping her escape our watch. Just me won't be suitable from now on."

"Nah, we'd never do that, would we Tay?" joked Tessa, sobering up when she saw Taylor and no one else was laughing. "Okay, so what does that mean for Gabriella and the rest of us for the trip? Are we going to have to go back to New Mexico now?"

Stephen shook his head. "I'll talk to the manager and see if he knows anywhere that's a bit more private. I know all the beaches in Hawaii are technically public but there are some areas that are harder to get to and less known. Let me make a call and then we'll decide, okay?"

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement before Stephen went to make that phone call. Annette watched as the teenagers sat on the couch, Gabriella taking off Tessa's hat and her own sunglasses and putting them on the coffee table. She stared at it for a little while, knowing those two items would become a fashion accessory must, at least until everything died down. 'I may be a princess but I don't feel like that pretty princess image at all. What is this going to mean really? How am I going to be able to return to school now?'

An alert sound beeped from Gabriella's cell phone, just once for a few moments and then came again and again as she continued to get text messages. Gabriella eyed the phone warily, not sure if she wanted to see what was said, but forced herself after seeing Taylor and Tessa give her encouraging looks and smiles. She shakily picked up the cell phone that was lying on the coffee table next to the discarded hat and sunglasses and began reading her inbox.

**From Sharpay: **_**Gabriella Montez! I cannot believe you didn't tell me yourself you were an actual PRINCESS! Call me back immediately!**_

**From Sarah: **_**I knew there was something going on with you! I know you're in Hawaii but call me when you get back!**_

**From Beth: **_**Talk about secrets between friends! I totally understand in this case though. How's Hawaii?**_

**From Kelsi: **_**Hey, how are you holding up? That's a lot to handle. I'm here if you need to talk.**_

**From Martha:**_** Talk about the queen of all secret identities! My passion for dancing is nothing compared to yours. Hope you're okay!  
**_  
Troy's cell phone also started chiming with alerts as he got a few from his own friends.

**From Chad:**_** A freaking princess? You are so in trouble for not telling me. I cannot believe you held that, what about no more secrets between brothers? And don't play like you haven't known, I won't buy that. You have explaining to do!**_

**From Zeke:**_** How's Hawaii? What a time for something like another side of Gab coming out now. Did you know?**_

**From Jason: **_**A princess? Of where?**_

Taylor's and Tessa's phones went off as well, the four teenagers reading the incoming messages but no one deeming to send one back. 'If I'm getting this much attention from my friends about this, how's it going to be when we go back home? Are the press and paparazzi going to be there too? Why are they so interested in me? Copanvy isn't even a big country!' thought Gabriella, chewing on her lip, realizing she was doing that only when she felt Troy's hand slip into her hand, giving it a squeeze.

Stephen walked into the room again and saw that the mood had changed a bit more, the four teenagers looking at their phones, Gabriella looking more freaked out and worried than when she came back running from the beach. "What happened?" asked Stephen, obvious concern in his voice.

"Looks like friends back home know," replied Annette, who had been watching the reactions on all the faces present. "So did you find somewhere?"

He nodded his head. "There's a gated off rock beach and a cove that should provide privacy that the manager says his son goes to a lot, that only a few locals really know about. It's about an hour drive from here. He said that would be the best place for us to go."

"Still feel like going outside and enjoying this Hawaiian getaway Gabriella?" asked Annette, not really knowing if her daughter really wanted to leave the hotel right now. "It's okay if you don't."

Gabriella shook her head. "No, I want to go. We are after all in Hawaii and as long as everyone is with me, I won't feel so alone when those people with microphones and cameras come at me. Why are there so many though?"

"The mystery of why Riley's case is federal just broke and there's foreign royalty living in the United States who has been here for quite some time without anyone really knowing. That's a total news headline," stated Taylor, thinking about the same thing earlier herself.

"But that's just it, I'm just me, a normal girl who happens to have some history to her bloodline that involves a throne and a crown. I shouldn't be getting this type of attention," protested Gabriella.

Annette nodded her head in understanding. "And yet you are because recognized royalty is becoming less and less frequent as the times move on and society as a whole has an obsession with what life is like for those who aren't them. Look at Harry and William, they have grown up in the limelight, having to get through everything including losing their mother with the world watching. At least in your case your dad and I were able to keep your life simple and regular, outside of that light."

"As much as I hate to say this, the time is up though," added Stephen. "We unfortunately cannot lie to the press about you and when they see me with you especially, they'll know who you are. Now I hope you also understand why I had to stay away for so long and so often while you grew up. I was afraid that constant visits with you would draw their attention to your existence and especially while you weren't being acknowledged by my parents, I didn't want to cause you the unnecessary torment of having everything you do watched. I grew up with that to some degree and it isn't easy."

'So that's why he was never really around until late Spring,' thought Troy, understanding more and more the real devotion Stephen had to his family. 'It was all to protect his daughter.'

"Will it always be like this?" asked Gabriella, already not enjoying a single second of all this new attention.

Stephen shook his head. "Not when we leave the US. Press and paparazzi are not so in your face in Copanvy."

'When they leave, he didn't say "if" Troy, he said when,' said Troy to himself. He felt himself pale and knew that his fear of losing Gabriella soon was going to happen earlier than he would like but knew there was nothing he could do to stop it. 'She is who she is and what she is. All I can do is make the best of what we have now, right?'

'She's going to leave, I can feel it,' reflected Taylor. 'I don't know how I would deal with all this if I was Gabriella. There's too much pressure, so much attention.'

'Am I the only one having issues seeing Gabriella as a full, real, royal princess? All I see when I look at her is Gabriella Montez, my best friend,' wondered Tessa as she Gabriella soaked in her father's words.

"The cars are ready, your highness," informed Curtis, giving the prince a bow as he entered the room again. "They are waiting for you at the employee entrance. There have been no signs of the paparazzi or press there, yet. We must hurry if you are to leave undetected."

Stephen looked to Annette and Gabriella to tell him what they wanted to do. "Ladies?"

Annette remained silent, letting this be Gabriella's choice. Gabriella saw this and looked at her best friends, including her boyfriend, and nodded her head. "Let's make the most of what we have left of this weekend in paradise," decided Gabriella, earning squeals and hugs from her best friends who were very happy to go out and enjoy more of their tropical surroundings. Troy just grinned as he saw the smile return to her face, making it look like she no longer had all the worries she really did.

Everyone grabbed two towels each from the pile that was just delivered to the suite and quickly repacked their bags for another adventure on the island. At the end of Saturday, they did prove that they were capable of escaping the crowds and prying eyes for the rest of the afternoon and evening, a huge relief for them all, especially Gabriella, who was still worried what all the new attention would mean for her and her life.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Gabriella sat in the courtroom, keeping her head down for the most part ever since she and her parents entered the courtroom that Monday morning a few hours ago, knowing if she looked up that she would see _his_ brown eyes staring at her, just as she felt him staring at her now. 'God, I can still feel him without him being in the room, being here now is just making everything so much worse,' thought Gabriella, playing with her fingers as she listened to what was going on during this first day of the trial from the seat she had between Annette and Stephen in the front row, behind the wooden half wall on which the prosecution team sat on the other side of and to their left, Riley Sutton in the flesh with his lawyer.

It had been decided that the trial would be judge only ruled and that Riley would be tried as an adult considering the circumstances. On these conditions alone, there was a lot of media attention but it had gotten worse after the tabloid reporter reported on Gabriella's royal blood this past weekend. There were swarms of press and paparazzi alike waiting outside of the court house so the family had been driven around to use another entrance, one with considerably less photographers than the front.

"My client and his family are concerned that he is being vilified by the media and as a whole for something he has just 'supposedly' committed without a conclusion of this trial," stated Riley's lawyer, a man Gabriella heard referred to as Rick Sullomon.

'Supposedly?!' exclaimed Gabriella in her head as she snapped her head up, regretting it as her eyes locked with Riley's at the same moment. As brown eyes met brown eyes, memories began to slowly invade Gabriella's mind again, sneaking their way into her consciousness after so much time of successfully suppressing them.

Annette looked over concerned as she noticed Gabriella's breathing change to being more erratic, her hands turning white as they clutched onto each other tightly. She saw that Gabriella was looking at something as her daughter's eyes filled with tears and looked over to see Riley leering back at her daughter. Knowing she could not say anything without causing a stir in the courtroom, Annette slipped an arm around Gabriella and brought her daughter closer to her body, trying to soothe her the best she could without words or drawing attention.

Paul also noticed the little exchange and motioned to one of the court appointed security team members to break the contact. The woman walked over and stood directly between Riley and Gabriella so the eye contact was broken and neither were able to see the other. The judge noticed this and spoke up. "Mr. Sutton, please refrain from making contact with the witnesses. You are on trial and should be concerned about what is going on up here, not back there. And Mr. Sullomon, I understand your client's concerns and his family's so I am issuing a gag order on all present in this courtroom to not speak about this trial until after its conclusion. This is to not only protect Mr. Sutton and his family but also the witnesses."

Gabriella barely heard the judge's words but was grateful to hear that no one would be actually reporting on what was happening on a day to day basis on the trial. Her mind was still battling on keeping control of her emotions as she saw flashback after flashback of Riley's attack on her, getting those feelings again of Riley's weight crushing her as he went after what he wanted, ripping her apart in so many ways. 'Stop Gabriella, you have to stop this. Get control! Remember what Emma has said, go to your happy place! Go to a happy memory. Push this aside,' scolded Gabriella in her mind.

_Gabriella shivered as the cold wind brushed by her again, making her wonder what she was really doing out here on the beach at the dead of night with Troy by her side. Tessa and Taylor had gone to bed an hour ago but Troy and Gabriella were still awake and fairly alert so they had decided to come down to the beach. Troy had snagged the spare blanket he spotted in one of the closets and together they walked down to the beach, Troy spreading the blanket out on a fairly flat portion of sand before he and Gabriella both sat, where they currently were now, just enjoying the atmosphere, each other, and talking._

She gazed up into the dark sky, admiring the way the stars twinkled, feeling as if there really was nothing wrong in the world. Gabriella couldn't help but shiver again, this time finding herself grin as she felt Troy wrap his East High letterman jacket around her shoulders without a word. Troy then moved so that he sitting behind Gabriella with her sitting between his legs, letting her lean back against him as she continued to star gaze.

They continued to talk about little things here and there while also sharing quiet time together as they just savored being in each other's arms, an opportunity both of them recognized that could go away one day in the near future.

"Are you really going to leave the United States for good to live in Copanvy soon?" ventured Troy after some time, having to know her answer.

Gabriella let out a small sigh. "I think that's the intent of my family, yes. That doesn't mean that I can't come and visit but that's not the same, I know. I don't know when the move will be though. If I know my dad, he is weighing his options and will make a decision based on the outcome of the trial and how things are for me."

"You know, I used to not think so highly of your dad because of how he was always gone from your life and how he seemed to discourage us dating but I have to admit, I respect the guy and even admire him to a point. It's clear how much he loves you Brie, and your mom too," admitted Troy. "Now your mom on the other hand has to be the coolest mom around."

"Cooler than yours?" teased Gabriella, knowing Troy was his mother's son deep at heart.

"Let's call it a tie," responded Troy, feeling himself grin.

"I know we are both very lucky Troy, to both have such loving and understanding parents. I could have been pulled out of school a long time ago and sent to a boarding school in Switzerland but I haven't been. As much as I may hate the decisions my parents make about my life, in hindsight, I usually do see that they were right to do it," commented Gabriella. "I guess as much as teenagers like to have their independence, we still do need our parents around to help guide our lives at our age."

"Well we are at a bit of a weird point between making our own choices in life but also having to accommodate our parents and their preferences or choices. I think that's why so many teenagers go through a rebellion stage, because their wants and needs conflict with their parents' desires," stated Troy.

Gabriella smiled hearing this, thinking about how very insightful that was. "You never cease to amaze me Troy Bolton," confessed Gabriella.

Troy blinked a few times. "What?"

"You just always talk about me playing myself down when I really think it's funny since you do it all the time too. Like how you say you're an average guy with average intelligence? I hate to tell you this but you are far from it, especially with that little insight you just shared with me. You don't give yourself enough credit Wildcat," expressed Gabriella, giggling a little as Troy tightened his hold around her waist while tickling her a little in the process.

"Brie, do you realize you are the only person in the world that could make me feel this great about who I am? Well, besides my mom but she doesn't really count as she has to love me since I'm her making but you are capable of the same thing yet you have no obligation to me. When I'm with you, I don't know and this may sound crazy, but my world brightens and everything seems to turn out okay, no matter what's going on, what drama is happening. You are like this constant in my life that stabilizes me when everything else is going wrong. I don't know what I'll do when you leave," confessed Troy, burying his head into Gabriella's hair, breathing in her scent deeply.

This time Gabriella tightened her hold around his waist as they were lying side by side on the blanket now, running her hands up and down his lower back. "Shh, I'm not leaving tomorrow or the next day, I at least know that. And for the record, you mean just as much to me too but I think you already know that. Besides my parents, you are the only person that has taken the time to show me what real romantic love is and what it feels like to be safe in this chaotic world we live in. I know the role that I play in Copanvy's history and future makes things so much more complicated than if I wasn't for us, but you've stuck by me even after knowing and that speaks volumes to me Troy. I've said it before and I still wonder today what exactly I did to make you mine, to be so lucky in love."

He unwrapped an arm from around her so he could place his hand on her face, feeling her features, including her smile, in the dark where he could only really see shadows. Troy pulled Gabriella's face closer to his and leaned towards her to kiss her, smiling slightly as their lips finally connected. They kissed a few moments longer until Gabriella pulled away to snuggle into his embrace further as Troy rolled onto his back. Both fell asleep for a few hours, Troy waking as he felt something scurry across his leg. 'What was that?' he awoke thinking, spotting a dark shadow of something rushing to the ocean thanks to the light from the soon to be rising sun.

"Brie, wake up," whispered Troy, kissing her forehead. "The sun is going to rise soon."

"Mmm, okay," agreed Gabriella, opening her eyes and looking back at Troy before she looked at the sky that was no longer dark with stars.

Both sat up and Troy drew Gabriella onto his lap as she snuggled into his embrace and deeper into his letterman jacket she was still wearing. They watched as the sun peeked over the ocean, reflecting off the glassy surface of the water, revealing that there were many other little creatures running around on the sand like the one that woke Troy.

"What are they?" asked Troy.

Gabriella smiled. "Little crabs. They bury themselves in the sand at night and then return to the ocean during the day. I forgot their scientific name but that's what it is. Why?"

"Oh, just one of them evidently crawled over me in its process to go to the ocean and woke me up. Actually, I think I'm a bit freaked that I had a crab crawl over me like I was a random rock in its way," confessed Troy.

Gabriella giggled. "Aww, did the crab unnerve the big, bad Wildcat?" teased Gabriella.

Troy chuckled. "You could say that and if you ever tell anyone that, especially Chad, I'll…"

"You'll what?" prompted Gabriella, raising her right eyebrow.

"I'll do this," said Troy, kissing Gabriella's neck before tilting her head towards him to kiss her on her soft lips.

"Mmm, guess I will tell Chad if that's the punishment," joked Gabriella. "I love you Troy."

"I love you too Brie," returned Troy before kissing her again against the backdrop of the rising sun.

"Gabriella, sweetie, are you all right?" asked Stephen, giving his daughter a concerned look. He watched as Gabriella blinked her eyes a few times and refocused on the present, realizing that the first day of the trial had been completed and people were leaving.

Her eyes connected with Riley's brown ones but this time she sat up straighter, showing Riley that she had mastered his control over her. 'You may have taken something special away from me without my consent, you may have taught me that there is definite evil in this world, but you will no longer see me weak and in pain if I can help it Riley Sutton,' promised Gabriella silently in her head, finding sweet victory in the fact that Riley had a bit of a surprised look on his face before he was led away.

"Gabriella?" asked her mother.

"I'm sorry, I'm fine Mom, Dad," replied Gabriella.

"You kind of spaced there darling, are you okay?" pushed Annette, a bit confused at how tense and scared Gabriella looked before getting a gentle smile on her face for the rest of the trial. "Did the memories come back? We don't have to return again until you testify in a few weeks."

Gabriella nodded her head. "They came back all right but I think I've finally found the happy place Emma has been talking about needing. That's where I was."

"And that was where?" questioned Stephen, having a suspicion it involved a certain brown haired, blue eyed boyfriend of hers.

"With Troy, yesterday morning before we left Hawaii," explained Gabriella.

Annette held in her laughter as she saw the look of a little jealousy in her husband's face just then as he realized that Troy had seemingly replaced Stephen in Gabriella's life as her main man. "I'm sure that was a great memory, whatever it was, and I am happy it is so powerful to take you away from the negative ones. Aren't you Stephen?"

Stephen looked at his wife and saw that his emotions must be on his face by the look she gave him rather pointedly in addition to her words. "Yes, I'm happy too Gabriella. Just remember and hang onto that moment, all right? Whatever it is sure made things a lot better for you this morning."

Gabriella smiled back at her dad as they stood up and made their way out of the court room, surrounded by their security team until they were safely in their car and on their way home.

- - -

Troy anxiously got out of Chucky's car as Chucky parked in the circle outside of the main entrance of the Montez mansion, walking ahead of both Chad and Chucky who got out of the car after Chucky cut the engine. The butler immediately saw the concerned look on Troy's face and wordlessly led him to the library where Gabriella was found reading a book.

"Brie! Are you all right?" asked Troy, startling Gabriella a little who looked panicked before a grin graced her face as she saw him in the doorway. She put the book down, immediately getting up from the loveseat and running towards Troy. He gathered her into his arms, breathing in her familiar scent as Troy held her body close to him before kissing her soundly. "You're all right."

Gabriella giggled a little as she pulled farther away from him. "What did you think was going to happen at a court house full of people and security, our own and the court house's?"

"Don't ask Gab, he's been dreaming up horrible scenarios all day," interjected Chad, making it known to Gabriella that both Chad and Chucky were now standing in the doorway to the library.

"Chad, Chucky!" greeted Gabriella, stepping out of Troy's embrace to hug both. "What are you doing here?"

"Well Troy was at my house playing ball and Chucky came home, worried about you," explained Chad.

Chucky nodded his head. "Tom, you know Riley's older brother and my big brother in the fraternity, he called me up on my cell expressing his worry over you I guess as soon as he got in his car after the first day of the trial today ended. To be honest, Tom has wondered whether this was all made up or not but I think he saw the truth today. Were you up on the stand already?"

Gabriella shook her head. "No, I was just sitting with the other people in the courtroom to watch the proceedings today. I can't say more than that though."

"Well something must have happened because Tom said he saw the truth on your face and on his brother's. It was hard for him to even accept this realization, as I am sure it would be for me to recognize that Chad could do such a thing," admitted Chucky. "I came home to find Chad to see if anyone had heard from you and Troy said he didn't even know that the first day's session had let out already."

"Right, because I just wanted some down time, sorry Troy," said Gabriella. "It was emotional to see Riley in person again, seeing that familiar leer and presence again but I can at least say that I made a big step today."

"And what's that?" asked Chad.

"I found my very needed happy place. It saved me from the tormenting memories by letting me focus solely on the good," returned Gabriella.

"Something from your childhood?" questioned Troy.

"No, yesterday early morning," replied Gabriella, smiling more as she saw Troy's recognition of what memory she had focused on and grinned back at her. "Exactly, that is the perfect memory to erase all the bad, wouldn't you agree Wildcat?"

"I'd say so," agreed Troy, looking very intently into her eyes.

"All right, what happened yesterday morning? Did you two actually… do it in Hawaii?" asked Chad before getting smacked hard on one arm by Chucky and on the other by Troy, who glared at him. "What? Dude, it's just a question!"

Gabriella actually laughed at this, surprising all three. "No Chad, we didn't do 'it' but it was a special morning for us nonetheless."

"Good answer Gabriella," commented Chucky. "Excuse my little bro here, he apparently has no manners or grace. Either that or he's still a teenage boy."

"Hey! I want details," protested Chad.

"You know who you sound like right now? Tessa and Sharpay both," stated Troy, knowing that would be enough to shut Chad up as Chad immediately zipped his lips. "Yeah, I thought you wouldn't find that too good of a feeling to know you sound like a gossipy teenage girl."

"Did you just say my name and gossipy girl almost in the same breath?" demanded a high-pitched voice all four recognized immediately.

"Hey Sharpay, Ryan," greeted Gabriella, hugging both as they entered the library, Sharpay glaring at Chad and Troy both. "You two know Chucky?"

Sharpay turned her gaze to the older boy and narrowed her eyes thinking while Ryan nodded his head. "I do. You used to be the star player for the Wildcats a few years back right?"

"Yeah man, that was me," confirmed Chucky. "I remember you two, the Evans twins, the stars of the musicals since I don't know when. I've sat through quite a few actually, you sure do have a passion for theater."

"You could say that art imitates life in this case for sure," joked Chad. "After all, Sharpay always plays these dramatic characters which aren't a stretch from how she behaves in daily life."

"Oh be quiet lunkhead basketball man," returned Sharpay, smiling as she saw the shock on Chad's face.

"Did you just call me that?" asked Chad.

"Yup, I have learned a few things from Taylor and the rest of the girls as I think they've learned some things from me so you better watch it Chad. Taylor may be too good for you soon if you don't ask her out to be your girlfriend soon," threatened Sharpay. "After all, she is not the type of girl now to wait around forever for your snail speed movements."

Chucky chuckled at this. "Man, if she's right about changes in Taylor, you better act fast man. Ryan here may be interested and steal her away or some other guy."

Chad swallowed, still looking at Sharpay before turning his attention to Ryan. "Nah, Ryan wouldn't do that to me would he?"

Ryan smiled back. "I guess you'll never know if you hurry," replied Ryan, a smirk on his face.

Gabriella and Troy both laughed together as they saw the wheels working overtime in Chad's head as he became occupied on what he wanted to do in regards to Taylor. Seeing that Chad was distracted, Sharpay turned her attention to her friend. "So, how was today at the federal court house?"

"All right. Could have been better but I think things will work themselves out. How was school?" asked Gabriella.

"Oh, the same. Although, there is plenty of gossip going on about… oh, sorry," stated Sharpay, covering her mouth before Ryan had to stop her.

Gabriella gave Sharpay a suspicious look. "Gossip about me right? It's okay Sharpay, I expected as much."

Ryan nodded his head. "Yes, some things are going around but that's just the norm of high school. Something else will happen soon and you'll be let off the hook."

"But it's not every day a fellow classmate is revealed to be royalty Ry," argued Sharpay.

"Not helping Shar!" argued Ryan.

Realizing he was right, Sharpay shot Gabriella an apologetic look. "Sorry Gab."

"It's all right, really. Makes me a tad nervous about going back to school but that's all. You'll all be there though when everyone laughs at me tomorrow morning, right?" returned Gabriella.

"We'll always be here for you, all of us," assured Troy, wrapping an arm around Gabriella's waist and pulling her closer to him.

Everyone nodded their heads and gave Gabriella a smile. "Here, give me your cell phone," said Chucky. Gabriella reached for it from the side table next to the loveseat and handed it over. Chucky programmed his number in and handed it back. "In case you need to talk to a guy whose older than these knuckleheads and a bit more mature."

Gabriella smiled back at him and took the phone. "Thanks," replied Gabriella. "That means a lot."

"I may not know you as well as these guys here, and I definitely do not know you as well as Troy here, but I can tell from what I know of you through firsthand experience and by word of mouth that you certainly are special, and it's not because you have royalty in your blood either. Anyway, I know it is a school night so we should probably all go since we now know you're all right," stated Chucky.

"Oh, there's a quiz tomorrow in AP English, Taylor mentioned something about that," said Chad. "She was grumbling about it on the way home today."

"Thanks Chad," replied Gabriella. She walked through the mansion with them and stopped on the front steps so that Paul and Curtis wouldn't have to walk outside with her as was the pattern whenever she left the house.

"You better make sure you don't forget about talking to me tomorrow when all the rest of East tries to become your best friend all right?" demanded Sharpay, giving the other girl a smile to let her know that she was joking, sort of.

"I would never Shar," returned Gabriella, giving Sharpay a hug and then Ryan. Next she thanked both Chucky and Chad for coming over, giving them hugs before they went to Chucky's car to give Troy and Gabriella some privacy.

Troy pulled Gabriella into a tight hug, kissing her cheek as he pulled away. "Can I pick you up in the morning and take you home?"

"I'd love that," agreed Gabriella. "Thank you for coming over and again, I'm sorry for not calling right after we were done."

He nodded his head. "I understand, don't worry. I'm just glad you're good and that our shared moment yesterday morning was able to help you through the experience today when I couldn't be there."

"You're always here with me, right here," said Gabriella, placing Troy's hand right over her beating heart.

"Have I mentioned how very sweet you are?" asked Troy, leaning in for a kiss that was soon interrupted by teasing honking from Chucky's car. "Bet that was Chad. I'll see you in the morning all right?"

"Sounds good. Good night Troy," replied Gabriella.

"Night Brie," answered Troy, giving her one last kiss before getting into Chucky's car to head back to the Danforth's house where his car was before heading back home himself.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The next morning, Gabriella walked into East High with Troy's hand firmly in hers after dodging a handful of photographers outside, freezing at the entrance as the noise in the hall instantly quieted as kids became aware that she was now among them. Gabriella looked around and saw every single student in the hall was openly staring at her like she had a second head. "Umm Troy, can we maybe run to my locker or something?"

"Why?" asked Troy, greeting Chad and Taylor, who had just come through the doors themselves.

"They're all staring," pointed out Gabriella, looking from the general student body to her boyfriend, not getting the usual comfort she did from staring into his loving blue eyes.

Troy looked around and saw that she was right. "Then why don't we give them something to stare at?"

"Like what?" got out Gabriella before Troy pulled her to him, passionately kissing Gabriella as he slowly dipped her back. After a little while, Troy ended the mini-make-out session with a peck on her cheek and then her neck before looking around the hall where half the students present erupted into applause, the loudest Sharpay, Ryan, and Kelsi who had witnessed the public display of affection from down the hall, and Chad and Taylor, well Taylor more than Chad.

After that, everyone went back to talking as they had before, leaving the friends to meet up in the middle of the hall before they started walking to their different lockers together. "Guess you showed them huh?" teased Sharpay, getting enjoyment from seeing the blush on both Troy's and Gabriella's face. "I couldn't have done that better myself."

"Thanks, that's my version of improvisation for you," replied Troy.

"Glad you learned something from freshman drama," returned Ryan with a chuckle.

"Well the good news is it looks like there's a real change going on here Gab," interjected Taylor as she walked down the hall holding Chad's hand and showing Gabriella it. "I think that Chad and I here are an example of the change you helped make happen."

Gabriella stopped in her tracks and looked at their intertwined hands. "Oh my God, did he go over to your house last night and ask you to be his girlfriend?"

Taylor nodded her head. "Yes, we're official," she replied with a smile.

Troy and Ryan chuckled, giving Chad a certain look. "Glad you listened to our advice man," said Troy, giving Chad a high five.

"Your advice?" questioned Taylor.

"More like a push in the right direction Taylor," stated Gabriella, not wanting Ryan or Troy to ruin Chad's actions with a teasing comment. "The boys were over last night with Chucky and then Ryan and Sharpay came and the topic did come up and Chad expressed a bit of a fear of losing the opportunity to make your relationship 'official'. I'm guessing he rushed over to your house after Chucky drove them back to their house."

Taylor looked over at Chad. "Is this true? Did you really mean it when you asked me out?"

Chad nodded his head. "I may have been a bit scared into doing it but I meant every word I stumbled over last night."

"Aww, Chad, that's so sweet!" squealed Taylor as she hugged him and gave him a peck on the cheek, pulling away suddenly as she remembered they were standing in the hallway.

"Another couple down," remarked Kelsi with a smile. "Well I have to run off to my locker, we don't have much time left. See everyone in homeroom?"

Everyone agreed before splitting off for their lockers to grab their things and then met again in homeroom to start a new day at East High.

- - -

Gabriella smiled at her boyfriend as she walked out of her last class before lunch and she saw him walking towards her. "Hey there Wildcat," greeted Gabriella.

"Hi babe," returned Troy. "Walk me to my locker and then I walk you to yours?"

"Sure," agreed Gabriella, taking his offered hand and walking through the halls to his locker. She leaned on the wall next to his and closed her eyes, focusing on a happy memory as she began to feel the stares and hear the whispers again. 'Guess this technique is good for more than just shutting out Riley.'

Troy gave her a worried look before he shut his locker door, his lunch in hand and his backpack back on his shoulder. "You okay?" he asked, also becoming aware of the gossip in the hall and how all of the attention was focused on Gabriella.

Gabriella nodded her head. "I'll be fine. My turn?"

"Sure," said Troy, this time wrapping his left arm around her waist as they walked through the halls to her locker. As they reached it, Gabriella froze on the spot, jerking Troy back in the process. "What's wrong?"

"That," answered Gabriella, seeing the words "slut princess" written on her locker in pink and black marker.

Troy let go of her as soon as he saw what had her upset and approached the locker, licking his fingers and running it over the words, frustrated that it just didn't come off. He looked at it closer and saw that whoever wrote it also etched it into the locker. 'Damn!' he thought before spinning around eyeing the crowd. "All right, who the fuck did this?"

The students in the hall just stared at him, some looking horrified by either his behavior or what they saw written on Gabriella's locker. When he didn't get an answer, he repeated himself. "Who the hell did this? Come on, be mature enough and admit your slander!"

"Mr. Bolton, what is the problem here?" asked Ms. Darbus as she approached an enraged Troy and a sad looking Gabriella.

"Some jerk did this," replied Troy, indicating the locker but not taking his eyes off the crowd, hoping someone would slip with an expression that revealed their involvement.

"Oh my," expressed Ms. Darbus. "Gabriella, let's get your things out that you need for the rest of the day dear and we'll go see Principal Matsui, all right?"

Gabriella sadly nodded her head and dialed her combination to see black rose petals had been slipped into her locker, causing an involuntary gasp that got Troy's attention.

Troy saw this and shook his head, becoming more furious at the unknown torturer. "Shh, it's okay Brie," comforted Troy, pushing his anger aside to be Gabriella's strength as he wrapped his arms around her waist and felt her tremble a little, grateful for once for Ms. Darbus and her not telling them to stop their affection at the moment. He spotted Gabriella's lunch and what she would need for the rest of the day and gently took Gabriella's bag from her and started to fill it, keeping her stuff from earlier in the bag. "We'll put the rest of your stuff in my locker, all right?"

Gabriella showed her understanding but continued to stare at the black petals and imaging in her head the words on the other side of her locker door. "Come on Miss Montez, let's get you out of here."

Troy closed Gabriella's locker after making sure Gabriella was turned away so she wouldn't have to look at the words again. They stopped by Troy's locker and put Gabriella's morning books and notebooks in, moving on to see Principal Matsui in his office, who was not really all that surprised.

"I knew there would be some immature backlash but not exactly this. My apologies Miss Montez, we'll make sure it gets cleaned up. Should I be calling you princess actually?" stated Principal Matsui.

Gabriella shook her head. "No, please don't. I don't really want to feel any more weird than I am now."

Paul showed up at that moment, knocking on the door before sticking his head in. He was still shadowing Gabriella but took less of a presence among her and her friends to give her some privacy but was there to witness the locker scene, grateful that Troy was there to take care of her. "Principal Matsui? I just checked and none of our security team saw who perpetrated this vandalism."

Principal Matsui sighed. "I was hoping someone did otherwise there will be no way for me to punish someone for this."

"No, no punishment is needed Principal Matsui, really. I just want it cleaned up," expressed Gabriella.

"Are you sure?" asked Principal Matsui.

"Yes and I promise my father will not come down on you for the lack of punishment," added Gabriella, knowing the principal was most likely worried about that. "Can we go to lunch now?"

"Are you sure you want to stay?" questioned Ms. Darbus. "I don't think it would be out of the question to excuse you from school after this morning."

Gabriella shook her head. "No, I need to stay. I missed the past two days and I can't bear to have people think they succeeded in scaring me off."

Troy agreed with her. "I'll make sure she's okay, promise."

The couple walked out of the office with Paul on their heels as they headed into the cafeteria where more whispers and outright gossip awaited them, increasing as they sat down at the gang's table, Troy's arm still securely around Gabriella's waist.

"Don't please," begged Gabriella as Gabriella saw all the sympathetic looks on the gang's faces, especially from Sharpay, Taylor, Kelsi, and Martha.

Everyone nodded and started making small talk, respecting Gabriella's wishes. The rest of lunch continued that way, Gabriella only smiling a few times including laughing at Jason and Zeke, who made a few jokes about each other and then Chad as he got involved in the argument. Troy made sure to walk her to her next period, never leaving her side until he had to let her go to her classroom. "See you at PE and then the ride home?"

Gabriella gave him a small smile in response. "Thank you," whispered Gabriella before she leaned up and kissed his cheek before ducking inside the classroom, leaving Troy with a small smile of his own face before he ran off to his own classroom.

- - -

Emma Collins stared at the young princess, the young woman in front of her and was inwardly amazed at how strong Gabriella was becoming after hearing about her day at East High. "So you spent the rest of your day focusing on your classes and using your happy place as needed?"

Gabriella confirmed this statement with a nod of her head. "I especially needed it in the girls' locker room. There was just so much gossip and the locker room amplifies everything. Of course it didn't surprise me to see Alicia glaring at me, seeming to also take joy out of my misery."

"Alicia… She's Troy's ex, right? The one you said showed up at that fraternity party before everything happened?" questioned Emma, writing some things down on her notepad.

"Yes," confirmed Gabriella.

"Do you think she did the locker writing?" pushed Emma, having her own suspicions about the other girl.

Gabriella thought for a few moments, pondering whether or not Alicia could be capable of it. "I think it's possible but I don't know for certain," admitted Gabriella. "I know she's been pretty upset since Troy and I kissed the night of the Masquerade Ball, rightfully so too as we did kiss while they were technically together and I do feel bad for that still. I think she became more distressed when she found out her new crush, Riley, was obsessed with me, and then again when I showed up at East. Remember that confrontation at PE I told you about a few weeks ago?"

"The one where you and she butted heads after she pushed you, right?" asked Emma.

"That's the one. She had told me then that she thought that I was just taking over her life. I swear that's not my intent. I don't know how we keep being drawn together by things like guys and schools. She can have Riley though, I'd be happy if he was erased from my life," confessed Gabriella. "Is that bad?"

Emma shook her head. "No, after all that has happened to you and the history you have with him, it's natural you feel this way. Let's talk about these happy places you've chosen. What and where are they?"

Gabriella thought for a few moments. "Well the one that got me through the trial and that I used today too was from Sunday early morning when Troy and I were just spending time talking and being in each other's arms on the beach while we were in Maui. The other one is of when Troy and I slow danced on my balcony of our old house one night when he snuck up the tree, just me and him. You aren't going to tell my parents any of this right?"

Emma laughed a little. "No, of course not, just as I haven't anything else you have told me. I just give them status reports is all and I have to say that they have been very happy to hear that you are making progress again. But let's get back to these places, these memories. They all involve Troy don't they?"

"They do," admitted Gabriella, realizing that Emma was very right. "Oh God, I've gotten dependant on him haven't I?"

"Well yes and no. I don't think it is a bad thing, not at all. Troy Bolton has shown over the past few months, especially these past weeks, that he is actually more mature than I would have expected a teenage boy to be. He respects you and genuinely cares and love you Gabriella, that's rare for teenagers these days. The one thing I wanted to point out here though is that Troy has won not only a place in your heart but a place in your mind. He has taken up the role of being the one person who you feel the safest with," explained Emma.

"But shouldn't that be my parents?" asked Gabriella, feeling guilty at the unconscious change she had over the past few months as far as the people in her life.

"I don't think it's anything to do with them and what they are lacking if that's your concern," replied Emma. "Troy is someone you have grown to love and who loves you back, he has been through quite a bit with you, has gotten into fights for you, and I think all that together completes the picture of being protected with him. Didn't you say he called the night the news started talking about the case being federal and it turned out he was right off the property but didn't insist on coming in once he knew you were okay?"

Gabriella nodded her head, remembering that night. "It was a girls' study night and he called, showing his concern. I was touched by him ditching the boys that night just to drive over in case I needed him."

"Exactly my point. I do have to be honest here though Gabriella. I am concerned as to what will happen to you when you eventually have to move back to Copanvy. There's nothing wrong with Troy being so special to you, being this comfort, but I worry as your psychologist what it will do to you. I'm not saying it's going to happen right away but I need you to start thinking about this so your mind isn't shocked when it happens," expressed Emma.

"I understand," returned Gabriella, sadness filling her voice again. "I've thought about that too, especially after I kind of got that gist from my parents while we were in Hawaii, just as Tessa, Taylor, and Troy did too. I think we've all tried to push that aside for now as I am still here."

"And there's nothing wrong about that but I need you to at the same time not allow yourself to live in a false state of existence where you believe you'll always be together. I know this is harsh but I have to be real with you. I've never lied to you and I'm not going to start now. For yourself Gabriella, you need to prepare for the day that you do leave. I don't think it will necessarily be the end of you and Troy and your friends but it will not be the same. Your role in Copanvy is not an easy part of life and it will take a lot of adjusting being in that life. Just be ready for it, all right?" stated Emma, looking a bit more concerned as she saw Gabriella bite down on her lip again. "What are you thinking Gabriella?"

"Just that when that day comes, and it is when not if, it's going to be so hard. I know that it will happen, I'm not foolish enough to think that it won't, but it's going to be tough. You just highlighting how important Troy is to me just confirms to me what I've been thinking, that Troy has come to mean the world to me, whether I intended that or not. The funny thing is that I've known him less than a year and I feel this way," remarked Gabriella.

"Well, certain people do find that connection that instantly ignites within both of them and people can form bonds like what you and Troy shared rather quickly. It's not common though, otherwise we wouldn't have so many people in this world looking for true love, their matches, including myself. Is it weird to use your wording? No, not at all. It's clear to me Gabriella how much Troy and his love means to you. My suggestion is to be realistic about what is going on with your present and future but at the same time don't let it get in your way of enjoying your time with him. The love you two share, the concern you both have for each other, it's one of the most pure forms I have ever seen in my lifetime Gabriella," confessed Emma. "Enjoy it while you can, you deserve this happiness and as much as you may doubt it after everything that has happened to you, you really do deserve this."

Gabriella glanced at her watch after acknowledging she understood Emma and looked back at the psychologist. "Speaking of, Troy is actually studying in the library while I'm here with you. He didn't want to leave me just yet I guess. Is it okay if we end here?"

Emma nodded her head. "I don't see the problem with that, in fact I would say sending you off to him would be the best medicine for you right now. You trust him without question Gabriella and it shows in how you can accept his looks and his touches without the problems from before. Just remember what I said, all right?"

"Sure," agreed Gabriella as she got up from the loveseat and thanked Emma before heading out the door of Gabriella's personal lounge in search of her boyfriend.

Emma stayed in the lounge a little longer, writing up a few more thoughts on what was discussed today but was distracted half an hour later by laughter coming from outside. She got up from where she was sitting on the couch and put her notepad down as she walked over to the windows that overlooked the backyard.

There on the basketball court down below her, Emma spotted Gabriella and Troy playing one on one basketball, Troy evidently giving Gabriella a form of help by keeping his left hand behind his back. She found herself laughing as Gabriella succeeded in stealing the ball from Troy, an amazed look on his face before he went right after her. Troy picked up Gabriella using both arms now and spun her around after she successfully made the shot and kissed her soundly, both pulling away looking happier than ever just then. Glad to see that Gabriella was really making an active effort to enjoy the present with Troy, Emma returned to the couch and picked up her notepad, jotting down a few more things before she left the lounge, a smile playing on her own lips as she thought of Gabriella and Troy, the perfect picture of young love.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

"Oh please Paul, let's sneak out of here," pleaded Gabriella, desperately trying to get her only ally in the house to go off to the Homecoming game currently going on at East High. It was now the second week of October and Gabriella had been mandated by her parents, especially her dad, to stay home and away from the game as it was East High vs. West High. "Please?"

Paul shook his head, chuckling as she tried her puppy face. "Sorry, I'm not Troy and that is not going to work with me. Besides, it's already been an hour of the game. Why would you want to go now?"

"Because I want to see East kill West on the football field?" offered Gabriella.

"Hold that thought," said Paul as his cell phone started to ring and he answered, walking away from Gabriella but keeping her in his sight as he knew she would ditch him and make a run for it as soon as he turned his back on her.

When Paul came back, he had a grim look on his face. "What is it?" asked Gabriella.

"You are definitely not going to the game now. We sent a team out to the game to scope it out. If they thought it was safe, I was going to take you as a surprise but they've seen a couple of guys wearing West High varsity jackets asking around for you. I'm guessing it's the basketball team again. I'm sorry Gabriella but you aren't going anywhere tonight," expressed Paul. "It's not safe and there are photographers outside the gate here and at the game waiting for you as the trial is starting to heat up as little bits of information is coming out to the public from an unknown source. You don't want to get hounded do you?"

Gabriella shook her head. "No, of course not. Fine, I guess we'll just camp it here. Want to watch a movie with me?"

"Sure," agreed Paul, knowing that he owed her at least that much. He followed her into the room they had dubbed the theater room as the previous owners of the mansion had been movie fanatics and had comfy cushioned seats installed in the room with a projection screen and projector that played DVDs. "So what torturous girl flick are you making me watch tonight?"

"Hmm, _Romeo and Juliet_ with Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo," decided Gabriella, moving to the wall with all the DVDs and pulling it out after locating it. Paul took it from her and loaded it into the DVD player, hearing an unexpected voice as the opening credits started.

"Feeling all Shakespearean are we?" asked Sharpay, who had just entered the theater room with Ryan. "Ry and I thought we'd come over to keep you company since you weren't allowed to go to the game. I don't know why you would want to go to the stupid game anyway to be honest."

"Because it's a normal high school activity that I wanted to attend," returned Gabriella with a smile. "Movie night with good company is good too though. Why don't you two sit down?"

"Thanks," said Ryan as he sat on one side of Gabriella while Sharpay sat on the other side as Paul had taken a seat towards the back.

Gabriella's mind drifted to the subject of her and Troy as the movie played on, especially during the party scene where the two young lovers meet, reminding her of their own real chance encounter back in the winter months. She focused back on the movie as Sharpay elbowed her a little, giving her a knowing look.

When the movie ended, Ryan looked over and chuckled as he saw both his sister and Gabriella wiping away a few tears. "Are you two actually crying? You especially Sharpay have seen this plenty of times before!"

"So? It's such a sweet, romantic movie. No wonder I crushed on Leonardo so much when I was younger! Between this and _Titanic_, he was totally the hottie of the times," returned Sharpay, giving her brother a look he was far too used to. "I think it just is so tragically romantic how they die for each other all right?"

Gabriella nodded her agreement. "It is romantic but very sad too yet happy since you know they are together on a different level of existence somewhere."

"Again, just a play girls, well in this case a movie. Paul, help me out!" pleaded Ryan who received only a chuckle from the bodyguard who had gotten up to turn on the lights again and stop the DVD before putting it back with the rest.

"Come on Ryan, let's go get some girly ice cream," said Gabriella, taking his hand and pulling him up as they walked to the kitchen where Gabriella immediately pulled out a tub of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and started scooping ice cream into four bowls.

Sharpay scrunched her nose up at this. "Gabriella, don't you have servants to do this for you?" asked Sharpay, looking pointedly at Paul, who was leaning against the counter next to Gabriella.

"Nope, I like to do things myself too Sharpay," returned Gabriella, who continued scooping. "And don't look at Paul, he is not my servant."

"Bodyguard, servant, isn't it the same thing?" questioned Sharpay. "I guess I'm just amazed that you're a princess yet are very independent. I think I use servants more than you do."

Ryan laughed at this. "I think that's a given sis," stated Ryan, getting slapped on the arm by Sharpay for his efforts. "Oh come on, you seriously are way too dependent on our team at home! You call them in the middle of the night to ask for a glass of iced tea with a lemon, waking one of them up, when you very well can just go downstairs and pour yourself a glass."

"Well, that's what they are there for aren't they?" replied Sharpay.

Gabriella just let her friend's comments slide by as she passed out the bowls and returned the tub of ice cream back into the freezer. She had found over the past few weeks of really getting to know the blonde girl that this was simply how Sharpay was, how she saw life, and nothing would change that for Sharpay. Gabriella jumped up on the granite counter and started eating while Sharpay and Ryan sat on the barstools and ate at the counter, Paul eating his while he leaned against the counter still.

They were almost done when Taylor, Tessa, and Zeke appeared in the kitchen. "Hey!" greeted Gabriella with a bright smile that disappeared when Chad showed up supporting Troy a little, who was clutching his side. "Oh my God, what happened?"

Gabriella jumped off the counter, putting aside her ice cream and running over to Troy, who was now leaning against a wall. "Stupid West boys are acting up again," replied Troy as he winced again as he felt Gabriella's hands lightly move over his side where he had gotten punched pretty hard by Mark Sanchez earlier at the game, sometime in the last quarter.

"J, Chad, and I found Troy surrounded by Mark and a few of his boys and jumped in to try to give him some help. Your security team broke up anything though before it got too out of hand," explained Zeke from where he stood with his arms around Tessa.

"Hey Gab, is there any ice cream left?" asked Chad, earning a smack from Taylor.

"Inappropriate much?" hissed Taylor, embarrassed her boyfriend was looking to feed his face while Troy was obviously hurt.

"Yeah, check the freezer. Actually, toss me one of those gel ice packs while you are in there please," responded Gabriella, catching it from Chad who then got down to scooping some ice cream for himself and the others. Gabriella gently raised Troy's shirt and bit her lip from making any noise as she saw the darkening patch of skin. She shook her head and felt a tear course down her cheek before Troy reached out and wiped it away with the pad of his thumb. "I'm so sorry Troy."

He shook his head. "You didn't do this to me Gabriella, Sanchez did. Unless you ordered him to attempt to beat me up, which I highly doubt, you have nothing to be sorry about."

"But this, and this," said Gabriella, pointing to his side and the slight scar that was faintly visible still through his eyebrow from the fight at the fraternity party, "would never have happened if it wasn't for me. Even the scar that's hidden now because of the bruise from the night Riley attacked me wouldn't exist on your body if we had never met, if you hadn't gotten involved with me."

"Hey, look at me," pleaded Troy, lifting Gabriella's chin up so she was looking directly into his eyes. "This is a small price to pay to have you in my life Gabriella, I've said that before and I still mean it. Don't you see Brie? You've brought far more into my life that is good, that is pure, than whatever scars my body may carry for it. You and our love means that much to me."

"Oh Troy," responded Gabriella, leaning up and kissing him before pulling away again and remembering the iced gel pack in her hands. "This is going to be cold all right?"

He nodded his understanding as she gently pressed the pack to his side, controlling his reaction to only a shudder at the coldness to not worry her further.

"Ah, no wonder I heard lots of talking all of a sudden," said Stephen as he and his wife entered the kitchen, seeing all the teenagers and Paul in the room. "I'm guessing the game is over?"

"Yup and East definitely kicked some West butt, err, tail, err…East won," answered Zeke, failing to find the right words that would be appropriate for what he wanted to say in front of Gabriella's parents.

"Good," replied Stephen, turning his attention to Gabriella and Troy, noticing that Gabriella had Troy's shirt raised and was holding an ice pack to his side. "What happened Troy?"

Troy gazed back at Gabriella's father, unsure of how much to reveal to him. Curtis entered the room, seeing that some of Gabriella's friends and her boyfriend who were at the game earlier were there. "Your highness, can I speak with you privately?"

Stephen gave his daughter's boyfriend one last look before following Curtis to another room to hear the briefing of the game that Stephen had sent Curtis and three others to in order to get a true feeling of what was going on at East High without chancing Gabriella's safety.

"Troy, maybe we should move you to a couch so you can lay down," suggested Annette, making Gabriella wonder why she hadn't thought that herself. Zeke moved to give Troy a hand in walking to the nearest living room that had a couch and helped Troy lie down, Gabriella placing the ice pack back on Troy's side under his shirt. "Do you want some Advil or Tylenol?"

"Got it right here your highness," chimed in Paul, who had gotten some pain killers and a glass of water for Troy as the others moved to the yellow living room where the teens were all seated around the room. He handed them over to Troy who gratefully took them both, swallowing the pills and drinking the glass of water before handing Gabriella the glass to put on the side table. Paul saw the bruise as Gabriella adjusted the ice pack and winced himself at the darkened skin that covered Troy's side but also abdomen. "Gabriella, I will be back with a bigger ice pack we keep in the training room. He's going to need it."

Paul disappeared just as Stephen came back in, shaking his head. "What is it?" asked Annette, seeing the upset look on her husband's face. "Is something else wrong?"

"No, Curtis just informed me that not only were there murmurings of some West High students looking for Gabriella but that there was an actual start of a fight which is where I believe Troy here got his bruise on his side. Curtis said they stopped it but weren't able to intervene before the first punch was thrown. Is this true Troy?" asked Stephen, looking at Gabriella's boyfriend direct in the eyes. "What was the fight about?"

Troy swallowed, giving himself some time to think and to choose his words wisely. "I got surrounded by our rivals when I was coming back from the bathroom. Zeke, Chad, and our friend Jason arrived to be by my side before anything happened, just the taunting."

"What was the taunting about?" pushed Stephen, already knowing what it most likely was. Troy nervously looked over at Gabriella, who was sitting on the edge of one of the couch's cushions as she held the new ice pack Paul had just given her over Troy's injury. Stephen saw the look and that was all he needed to know. "You were protecting my daughter's honor weren't you."

Unable to lie to Stephen, Troy nodded his head, looking away from Gabriella, knowing the admission would upset her. "Yes sir," responded Troy. "They were looking for trouble tonight anyway."

"But they knew she was your soft spot, that you were their connection to Gabriella," replied Stephen. "If they hurt you, they would hurt her."

"With all due respect sir, I don't know if this was all because of your daughter," stated Zeke. "There's been a deep rivalry between East High and West High for a long time and West guys are known for just trying to start trouble where they can."

"I appreciate you trying to help Zeke but this just confirmed my fears about it not being safe for Gabriella to go to anything school related except for school itself and that is already pushing it. I'm sorry Gabriella but you won't be going to the Homecoming Dance tomorrow night," revealed Stephen, giving his daughter a regretful look.

"No! Dad, you can't do that!" protested Gabriella, getting off the couch and standing up, facing her father. "That's not fair!"

"I'm sorry Gabriella but that's final. It's too risky," apologized Stephen, hating to ruin his daughter's plans but not willing to risk losing her for a high school dance.

Annette looked between her daughter and her husband, seeing their wills starting to clash again. 'There has to be something I can do to smooth this out before this escalates into another yelling match between the two.'

Troy looked over at Gabriella, who wore a heartbroken expression on her face mixed with her frustration at now being told she couldn't go to the dance. "Hey, Brie, I'll stay home with you. We don't need to go to the dance just so I can make a fool of myself on the dance floor."

Gabriella turned and looked back at Troy after hearing his gentle voice, soothing her nerves. "Are you sure Troy?" she asked, walking back to the couch and sitting down on the edge again. "It's your senior year, your last Homecoming Dance at East High."

Troy shrugged his shoulders, taking her right hand in his. "It won't matter if I go if you aren't there with me. We'll just stay home, here, and have our own fun. That is, good clean PG-13 fun," corrected Troy, blushing as his own ears heard how his words could have been misinterpreted. "We could dance without the fear of being made fun of, well that's meant for me, and we can also maybe even cook a dinner together? We can totally make the best of it."

Tessa felt a grin cross her face again as she saw the sweetness of this latest gesture of Troy's in an effort to make Gabriella feel less awkward in these different situations. "I'll be here too, that is if you want company and not just alone date time," offered Tessa. "It's not like I can go to East's Homecoming dance with my boyfriend anyway."

Gabriella looked back at Troy and asked with a look if that was okay. "Sure, that would be great Tessa," replied Troy, getting a kiss on the cheek from his girlfriend. "Just no teasing all night long all right?"

"I think I can manage that," agreed Tessa.

"Whoa, hold up. If my girlfriend is going to be here, I'd rather be here with you guys than at the dance. Can you make room for one more on the VIP list?" asked Zeke.

"So a double date?" summed up Gabriella, looking at Troy to see his reaction, which looked to be positive gauging from the smile on his face. "I think we can handle that."

"You do realize that I feel horribly left out now," complained Sharpay. "Why do we need a silly high school dance anyway? As Troy said, we can have our own fun here or at our place. We have full control of the music that way and no stupid other people ruining the night. I say we all just skip it and make our own party. I can talk to Mommy or Daddy about hosting it at our mansion."

Annette and Stephen both stood there, amazed at this turn of events. 'I've always known Gabriella knew how to pick her friends but this is just amazing they are all willing to give up their last Homecoming Dance to spend the night with her, and especially for Troy for starting it all by his offer,' thought Annette, looking at all the faces in the room which were getting more excited as ideas started getting tossed around. She looked to Stephen, who was also in a thoughtful mode. "What do you say to us hosting it here sweet husband of mine? After all, it is because of our issues with Gabriella's security that her friends are rallying to make sure she isn't left at home alone."

Stephen didn't need to think about it for a moment longer. "I agree, let's have the pseudo Homecoming Dance here. It'll be good to provide them all with some fun in a safe environment, one where I can keep an eye on our daughter at all times too."

"You will not!" replied Annette. "Really Stephen, if Troy's behavior in regards to Gabriella by now hasn't shown you that he is worthy of your trust in this regards, I don't know what will."

"That's just it, she's my baby girl Annette. I'll always see any guy that's not me as a threat and yes I admit that," responded Stephen.

Annette gave her husband a small smile. "Well, I can respect that but you do have to let her grow up sometimes Stephen, trust me. So will you make the announcement or should I?"

"Why don't you? That way they all still see me as the strict father," said Stephen with a wink.

After a small laugh and a shake of her head, Annette cleared her throat getting the attention of everyone in the room. "Well, Stephen and I have talked about it and since you are all deciding to ditch your Homecoming Dance to spend time with our daughter because of our decision, Stephen and I would be happy to host this event for you tomorrow night. I'll work on finding a DJ of some sort and will figure out the best place in this huge house for you to have it."

Gabriella grinned at this and ran up to hug both of her parents, thanking them both for making this new idea of the gang's possible.

"Why don't we potluck it for dinner then?" suggested Zeke. "We can all get dressed up in our planned attire and then come over here at like 5:30 each with a dish and just share. It'll be fun to taste what everyone makes."

"Says the expert baker and cook," joked Chad. "I'm game with that. Everyone else?"

Everyone in the room nodded their heads. "What about Kelsi, Martha, and J?" asked Gabriella. "And Sharpay, I'm sure you want to bring your boyfriend, and Ryan if you have a date."

"Michael will be here definitely. I think he'll actually be relieved we'll be going to a friend's party instead of a high school dance," revealed Sharpay. "I can do the decorations!"

"Umm, only if you promise everything won't be sparkly pink," replied Taylor, already knowing that would be the color of everything as was typical Sharpay Evans style.

"I'll call J and see if he's game," offered Zeke.

Taylor raised her hand quickly. "I'll make sure Martha and Kelsi are here. Just the gang, right?"

"And their dates but I think that yes, that's about the limit," decided Gabriella, taking a seat again next to Troy. "And Sharpay, I would love for you to help me with decorations but we won't go too overboard, all right?"

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "Now where is the fun in that huh? All right, we'll go shopping tomorrow morning. OH! We so have to get a background so we can do those cheesy pictures with our own digital cameras!"

Gabriella laughed. "All right, we can do that too. So it's all set then?"

Troy looked around at their group of friends who all had smiles on their faces while they nodded their agreement. "Well, I guess that's settled then. Who needs East High's Homecoming Dance when the real party is going to be right here tomorrow night, eh?"

The girls quickly gathered around Gabriella to start talking about getting together to get dressed and to do each other's hair and makeup while the guys, for lack of anything else to talk about, started talking about their favorite topic when the girls were around, sports. Troy and Gabriella though couldn't help but glance at each other every so often, Troy throwing in a wink and a grin in every so often to see that light blush on his girlfriend's face that he found so adorable.

'Maybe tomorrow night is the night to do something special to make it really memorable for her. But what?' he wondered as he forced himself to look away from the vision that was Gabriella. Troy turned his attention back to the waiting guys who wanted to know his opinion on the prospects of football season and quickly lost himself in that conversation, shelving the idea that started to form in his mind until later that night when he was home alone to really put some work into it.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Taylor, Kelsi, and Martha were just finishing doing each other's hair when Gabriella emerged from the bathroom wearing a strapless teal dress with black lace acting as the top layer with a black bow around the empire waist. Gabriella's dark brown hair flowed down to her shoulders in soft waves, two black sparkly clips holding some of her hair back. She grinned at her friends who were caught staring at her. "Do I look that bad?"

"No, every inch of what a princess should look like, yes," returned Taylor with a smile. "Troy is so going to be speechless when he sees you!"

Tessa rolled her eyes from across the room where Sharpay was curling her hair. "That's an understatement Tay. I think he'll more likely die of desire and out of frustration that he can't do anything about it."

"TESSA!" protested Gabriella while she blushed and the other girls laughed.

"What? You have to know he's going to be thinking that Gaby," responded Tessa with a grin. "It's only natural and if I was a guy, Troy would have something to worry about again with the way you look tonight."

Sharpay let out a laugh. "Are you saying you swing for both teams Tessa? I'm sure Zeke would find that to be a huge turn on in his girlfriend."

"Hey, watch the scalp!" exclaimed Tessa as she felt the heat of the curling iron a bit too close for her liking. "As for me playing both teams, maybe I have kissed a girl once but that was like in the seventh grade. I am so strictly guys only these days. Ask Tay or Gaby, they'd tell you I'm probably more guy obsessed than they are."

"That's true," agreed Taylor as she stood up and brushed some lint off her gold halter dress. "I have to say, we did a good job of representing different styles and colors tonight ladies."

Each of the girls looked around and saw that Taylor was right. They each had on a dress that was knee length or shorter in Tessa's and Sharpay's case, but the fabrics, patterns, and colors were different. Martha had on a black satin dress with long sleeves, Kelsi was wearing a navy blue spaghetti strap dress with a white bow around the waist, Tessa had chosen a green satin dress that was strapless but had a matching shrug, and Sharpay was wearing a pink, of course, strapless dress with a v-front and a flared skirt with petticoats underneath.

"We did do well," murmured Martha. "Of course, it does help that we shopped together."

"Good point," added Kelsi, clipping the last stray hairs down to Martha's head.

"Girls, are you ready?" asked Annette, who knocked lightly on the door and came in. "Wow, you all look beautiful."

The six girls smiled back at Gabriella's mother. "Thanks Mrs. Montez," chorused five of them while Gabriella just grinned at her mother whose gaze was currently on her.

Annette walked over to her daughter and hugged her, just enough to show her love of her daughter while being careful not to wrinkle Gabriella's dress. "You especially look lovely dearest daughter," whispered Annette. "Are you excited for tonight?"

Gabriella nodded her head. "I am. Thank you for letting me have my friends over tonight."

"It was the least your father and I could do. I promise I'll try to keep him occupied so he won't interrupt, okay?" returned Annette.

"Thanks Mom," replied Gabriella, giving her mother a kiss on the cheek. "I'm guessing the guys are here now?"

"Most of them. Oh and Sharpay, your boyfriend seems very mature and well versed," said Annette, turning around to look at the blonde. "I can see what you see in him."

Sharpay beamed back. "Isn't he absolutely fabulous? And as predicted, he was totally happier coming here tonight instead of the dance."

"Well I guess we shouldn't keep said fabulous guy waiting. Shall we go girls?" asked Tessa, twirling around and striking a pose, drawing out laughter from all the girls as they followed her into the hallway, Annette walking with her arm linked with Gabriella's.

They followed the male voices and laughter and found that all the guys were hanging out in the dining room where all the food everyone brought was laid out on the side table. Zeke had actually come over early and prepared a large prime rib that had the guys drooling while everyone else brought side dishes like corn, mashed potatoes, spinach with bacon, and other dishes so there was a variety. Gabriella, Taylor, and Tessa had worked on baking brownies, cookies, and a sponge cake earlier in the morning together for dessert in addition to the chocolate fountain Annette had rented for the night, which was now on a table in the corner, letting milk chocolate flow down its tiers.

All the laughter and talk in the room stopped abruptly as Tessa and Sharpay entered the room first, followed by Kelsi and Martha, then Taylor and Gabriella, Annette having stopped at the edge of the room to watch as the girls mingled with their guy friends and boyfriends. Her attention was especially focused on Gabriella as she went straight to Troy who, true to the girls' predictions, seemed to be staring hard at Gabriella with a huge grin on his face. Annette watched as Troy murmured something to Gabriella that made an adorable blush appear on her cheeks and a soft smile to appear on her lips before their lips met in a short but tender kiss. 'Just looking at them sends electricity down my own spine,' thought Annette with a smile before turning around and leaving the group to do their own thing.

The group of friends sat down around the table together after filling plates, the guys behaving themselves enough to allow the girls to get their food first, something that shocked Taylor and Tessa the most. Of course, when Gabriella filled her plate last, Chad, Zeke, and Jason fought for who would be next in line, allowing Ryan to slip right by their tousling and grab a plate to pick his food first from the guys.

"Hey, no fair Evans!" exclaimed Jason, being the first to notice the blonde was now filling his plate with food.

"Yeah! I cooked the hardest thing here! I should have dibs!" protested Zeke.

Ryan smiled and just shrugged his shoulders as he put a piece of prime rib on his plate. "What can I say guys? I'm not the fighting type and when I see an opportunity, I take it. Not my fault you guys let yourselves get distracted."

Troy chuckled. "He's got a point. Now, if you three want to continue to duke it out, I think Mike and I can jump you guys too."

The three guys exchanged a look before Chad dashed for a plate, followed by Zeke and then Jason.

"Boys and their food, I swear," commented Martha with a shake of her head.

"I bet you Chad ends up with the biggest plate of them all," threw in Taylor, confident that her assessment of her boyfriend's behavior would be correct.

Gabriella laughed. "Well I bet Jason is going to take the seat next to Kelsi. He's been eyeing her since we came in."

"He was not!" protested Kelsi.

"Oh, Jason totally was checking you out Kels," agreed Tessa. "Although, how Gabriella noticed with all that entranced gazing she did with Troy I'm not sure, but I guess the girl is good like that."

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "She's good all right but I'm better. I predict we see a new couple emerge in the next month between Kelsi and Jason. I think she has interest in him too. I saw the way she was shyly looking at Jason when she thought Jason wasn't looking. How cute is that? I think we can totally fix them up, whether they want it or not."

"Hello! I'm right here," interjected Kelsi. "Can you not talk about me as if I wasn't?"

The blonde looked back at the usually quiet composer. "Sorry Kelsi, I was just saying. And since when did you get so vocal?"

"I choose my moments, that's all Sharpay. I find it to be a lot more effective that way. Maybe you should try it some time," returned Kelsi, smiling as she saw the shocked look on Sharpay's face.

"Oh man, that was a classic shut down if I have ever seen one!" exclaimed Chad as he sat down next to Taylor with a plate overflowing with food.

"Aw baby, did she hurt your feelings?" asked Michael, taking a seat next to Sharpay and wrapping an arm around his girlfriend. "I'm sure she just didn't want you gossiping about her or whatever was going on."

"But babe, she's never like that," returned Sharpay, still reeling a bit that Kelsi reacted in such a bold manner.

Martha shook her head. "Kelsi actually does have a strong personality Sharpay, don't let her quietness fool you. Now that she's getting comfortable with you as a friend, I'd imagine you'll see this side of her a bit more."

Kelsi agreed. "Sorry Sharpay but sometimes you just need to be told to back off a little," stated Kelsi, noticing the knowing looks her friends shared as Jason took the seat next to her. She, Jason, Ryan, and Martha had decided not to bring dates and just go to tonight as friends to be with everyone else. After forgoing the empty seat next to Martha across the way, it was obvious to the girlfriends that Jason made an intentional choice in his seating to be close to Kelsi.

"What are you girls arguing about?" he asked.

"Nothing," replied Sharpay and Kelsi together, looking at each other after but both having a secret smile on their faces.

"Okay," returned Jason, knowing not to push forward on this particular string.

Once Zeke and Troy were seated, everyone started digging into their food, Jason, Chad, and Troy going for seconds before any of the girls could say they were half way through the food on their plates. The conversation was easy going around the table, everyone just getting to know each other a bit better while also discussing current events ranging from sports to political happenings.

'Calling this group diverse somehow doesn't seem to do it justice,' thought Gabriella with a smile as she looked on at the different conversations going on. 'I highly doubt any other group of friends could have such comprehensive discussions about sports, politics, and the weather all at the same time with so many people.'

Troy saw the reflective look on his girlfriend's face again and grinned. "Always thinking aren't you Brie?"

Gabriella looked over at him and gave him a small smile as their eyes connected. "What can I say? It's hard to turn this brain of mine off, especially when there is so much going on in my life right now."

"That's true, I agree but you should only be thinking about tonight and being here with your friends and your oh so loving and handsome boyfriend," returned Troy, reaching up and caressing her cheek. "I do have your attention right?"

"You do but truthfully I was thinking about our friends and how I'm glad everyone really does get along, even college boy Michael over there but there are other things somewhere in my mind," confessed Gabriella.

"Like the trial?" questioned Troy, knowing he was right by the flicker in her brown eyes. "What has you so worried Brie?"

Gabriella let out a little sigh, trying to organize her thoughts. "I think it's just not knowing what's going to happen, knowing I'll have to testify soon, knowing I will have to face Riley again. The press outside hounding me now. My life has just changed so much and yet the future is so uncertain."

"And you're right," agreed Troy, "but you shouldn't be worrying about all that right now. The whole point of having a gathering like this is to be with your friends, to have fun with them, and to make those great memories for you to think back on fondly when you are old and gray, not to get gray hairs now by worrying so much."

She stared at Troy for a few moments, soaking in the wisdom that just poured out of his mouth. "Wow, you are so right."

Troy grinned back at her. "Well, I am known for being right every once in a while."

"But with Gabriella by your side, you mostly look stupid," joked Chad from down the table, overhearing the last part of the conversation.

"Hey, he so does not," protested Gabriella, throwing Chad an angry look. "You're just jealous!"

"Of that lunkhead? I think not!" threw back Chad, a puzzled look on his face as the girls around the table burst into laughter and giggles at this. "What?"

"Umm, Chad, you totally just pulled a Taylor," explained Tessa, trying to control her laughter.

Taylor looked over and saw that the puzzled look had deepened. "You called Troy a lunkhead, a word I usually use for you basketball guys," stated Taylor. "Did you even realize it?"

Chad shook his head. "I totally didn't."

"Well I think that's cute," commented Martha with a smile. "Shows how close you two are getting."

"Yeah, I guess we are," said Chad, smiling at Taylor before quickly kissing her on the lips, still not big on the public displays of affection.

Taylor blushed at this but enjoyed the rare token of affection. "I've heard Zeke too say some Tessa words too. Guess it was bound to happen, right?"

"Which brings us back to the topic of how Troy sounds smarter lately," teased Zeke. "Guess that's Gabriella's doing?"

Before Gabriella could defend Troy, he spoke up himself. "Hey, I'm not denying it! Having an intelligent and beautiful young woman doesn't hurt on many different levels, trust me, and if it makes me sound more intelligent for it, so be it! At least I don't sound so dumb now."

"Babe, you never sounded dumb," returned Gabriella.

"She's right. Gabriella isn't the type to be swept off her feet by caveman talk," joked Tessa with a grin.

"Well thanks Tessa, I think," replied Troy. "Man Zeke, you've got a feisty one on your hands."

Zeke looked over at his girlfriend and chuckled. "May be so but I wouldn't trade her for the world."

A chorus of "Aww"s went off from Martha, Kelsi, Gabriella, Taylor, and Sharpay at this, turning into squeals of delight as Zeke kissed Tessa's cheek, causing the normally composed girl to blush.

As mostly everyone was done fifteen minutes later and were full from the dinner, the group decided against attacking dessert right away and moved to the gold living room that had been cleared out to serve as their dancing room. A hardwood floor had been installed in the middle, the DJ was already pumping the room and surrounding area with loud music, and the lights he had set up were already spinning colorful images around the room. The girls quickly got onto the dance floor and started moving to the music, Ryan and Michael being the only ones of the six guys to venture out there immediately with them while Troy, Chad, Zeke, and Jason lounged against the wall, watching from that vantage point.

After about twenty minutes of watching Gabriella move to the music, Troy glanced at his watch and saw that it was his time to leave. He pushed off the wall and left the room, leaving three confused friends looking after him.

"Dude, where is he going?" asked Jason.

"He can't be going home, can he?" questioned Zeke.

Chad shook his head. "I highly doubt that. He wouldn't leave Gabriella willingly this early. Maybe it's just bathroom calling or something."

"Could be," relented Zeke.

Taylor looked up and groaned as she saw Ryan with a video camera now in his hands. "Ryan, do you really have to video tape my ungraceful moves out here?"

Ryan chuckled. "Yes, I do have to record your stellar dance moves on tape. I want to make sure we have every moment of tonight captured. I just skipped out on while we ate because, well, that just would seem like some reality television show to have it film us as we chewed food. Although, that could have been a candidate tape to send to one of those funny video shows when Chad tried stuffing his mouth to full capacity and then started drooling."

Taylor laughed. "Guess you're right there."

Ryan moved on to tape Martha, who was breaking out her dance moves, wanting to get it on tape as he thought she was easily the best dancer he had seen from East High.

Paul peeked into the room and grinned as he saw everyone dancing before moving over to stand where Chad was standing against the wall. "Is this where the 'cool guys' hang?"

"This is where the guys hang who can't dance," returned Zeke with a laugh. "We aren't necessarily all that cool because of that."

"Hey, I'm cool," protested Jason.

Zeke and Chad just stared at him before bursting into laughter. "Sure dude, whatever you say," returned Chad.

Paul got into a conversation with the three boys about basketball before Paul's alarm went off on his watch. He looked down and grinned as he saw it was time. He walked over to the dance floor and gently took Gabriella's arm in his hand. "I need to talk to you. Can I tear you away for a few?"

Gabriella gave him a worried look before she nodded her head. "Sure. Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine. Meet me in the main hallway, I'll be right there," instructed Paul before he turned around and talked to Taylor softly, whatever he said to her making her smile wide.

'I wonder what's going on,' thought Gabriella as she witnessed this before going into the hall. She didn't have to wait long as Paul came out soon after and led her down a few halls to the main French doors that led to the patio in the backyard. "Why do we have to go outside to talk Paul?"

Paul smirked at Gabriella as he opened one of the doors. "I'm not going outside, you are. Enjoy Gabriella."

"What? Paul," protested Gabriella before she was lightly shoved out the door and heard it close behind her. The heater lamps were on to fight off the slight chill in the air but Gabriella only saw Troy who was standing next to the patio table with a small boom box on it. "All right, what's with the set up Bolton?"

"You'll see," returned Troy with a rather sexy grin. "Come here."

Gabriella walked towards him and placed her right hand in his offered left, letting Troy pull her closer to his body. "Are you just trying to get fresh with me mister?"

Troy chuckled. "Maybe but I do have something else in mind first."

Gabriella opened her mouth to say something back but stopped as Troy placed a finger over her lips to silence her. He then reached down and pressed play on the boom box before he slowly started swaying their bodies together to the instrumental music that began to fill the air. Troy pulled Gabriella's body close to his but just enough so that he could still look down into her face as he began to sing.

_Ooohhh   
_

_When the visions around you  
Bring tears to your eyes  
And all that surround you  
Are secrets and lies  
I'll be your strength  
I'll give you hope  
Keeping your faith when it's gone  
The one you should call  
Was standing here all along_

Tears filled Gabriella's eyes as she recognized the song as N'Sync's "This I Promise You" and was instantly touched that he had chosen this song to sing to her. She took one last look at Troy's face and his love filled blue eyes before closing her eyes and letting his sweet and gentle voice fill her ears and her soul.

_And I will take you in my arms  
And hold you right where you belong   
Til' the day my life is through  
This I promise you  
This I promise you_

Gabriella breathed in deep as she felt Troy pull her body in closer to his, allowing her to snuggle against his chest as she wound her own arms tighter around his waist, careful to avoid his bruised side that still pained him from last night.

_I've loved you forever  
In lifetimes before  
And I promise you never  
Will you hurt anymore  
I give you my word  
I give you my heart  
This is a battle we've won  
And with this vow  
Forever has now begun_

Troy smiled as he took in Gabriella's dreamy expression, knowing then that this special event he had planned for her in the last twenty-four hours was well worth it. 'Just to see that serene and in love face is more than I could ever want.'

_Just close your eyes  
each loving day  
And know this feeling won't go away   
Til' the day my life is through  
This I promise you  
This I promise you_

Over and over I fall  
When I hear you call   
Without you in my life, baby  
I just wouldn't be living at all

Troy dropped a kiss on the top of Gabriella's head, feeling his heart speed up with the anticipation of what he was about to do, still slowly moving their bodies together as one to the music.

_And I will take you in my arms  
And hold you right where you belong  
Til' the day my life is through  
This I promise you, babe_

Just close your eyes each loving day  
And know this feeling won't go away  
Every word I say is true  
This I promise you

Every word I say is true  
This I promise you  
Ooh, I promise you

As the music ended, Gabriella slowly pulled away from Troy's body to look him in the eyes again. Before she could speak, Troy pulled something out of his pocket and slipped it onto Gabriella's right hand's ring finger, glad that it fit almost perfectly.

Troy looked steadily into Gabriella's eyes as he said, "This is my promise to you Brie, that you will never hurt or be alone ever again, for the rest of our lives. Gabriella, I know we haven't known each other even a year yet but you have stolen my heart and my soul in ways I never thought possible. We're young, I know that, but I am old enough to realize that I want you in my life, just as much as I hope you want me in yours. This ring represents my promise to you and it also represents our unending love. Please accept this as my vow to always love you and care for you. I haven't done such a good job in the past of keeping you safe but I will always be here for you, to hold you, to listen to you, to be there for you in whatever capacity you need most. Gabriella, you are my life now and I can't imagine any future I have without you in it. I love you Brie."

Gabriella, so touched by those heartfelt words from her boyfriend, didn't know what to say just then so she leaned up and kissed him deeply, tightening her grip around his neck as Troy allowed her to deepen the kiss more. When she pulled away, Gabriella smiled back up at him, wiping away a few happy tears. "I love you too Troy, with all my heart and soul. Thank you, this was probably one of the most romantic things you could have done for me."

He grinned back at her. "Can you feel how fast my heart is beating?"

Gabriella allowed him to move her right hand down from his neck to rest over his rapid beating heart. "Are you feeling okay?" asked a concerned Gabriella.

Troy chuckled. "More than okay, especially now that I've made my promise to you. I have been so nervous since I thought of this. I probably shouldn't tell you that but that's how I feel."

"Hey, it makes sense. I remember how fast my heart was going the first time we exchanged those three special words," returned Gabriella. "And how I felt up on that stage next to a cute teenage boy during our little karaoke stint at the lodge, even if you made me feel like it was kindergarten all over again."

"That's what inspired me to actually sing. I'm glad you can still hear me," joked Troy.

"Babe, you know you have one of the sweetest voices around," answered Gabriella. "I could listen to you sing for days and nights both. Remember those times you would just hum or sing those sweet songs to me before I left for Copanvy? To comfort me? I held onto those moments when I needed you the most while we were apart."

"Really?" asked Troy, shocked at this revelation.

Gabriella nodded her head. "Everything about you Troy means just that much to me. The way you have about you that makes me laugh when I need it the most and your way of just knowing when I need you there for me and how you somehow know what to do to make me feel safe, to feel better. You were and are my only comfort during some of my darkest times Troy and that means a lot to me."

"Well it means a lot to me that you let me be there for you. So, do you want to look at the ring?" asked Troy, making Gabriella realize she didn't even look at it.

Troy moved her right hand with his left into the light from the patio's sconces and was relieved when he saw the appreciative look cross Gabriella's face as she gazed on the platinum band with two hearts etched into the top with a wavy, whimsical line continuing from both hearts that connected to the other on the other side of the ring. "I know it isn't much but," started Troy.

This time Gabriella put her finger over Troy's lips to silence him. "Troy, it's beautiful, trust me," stated Gabriella, smiling as she looked again at the ring before placing her right on his cheek. "The ring is a sweet gesture to symbolize our love Troy but you are even sweeter for thinking of this and meaning every word you said. I love you Wildcat."

"I love you too Brie," responded Troy, bringing her closer to him again so they could kiss, sharing in several before breaking away and leaning their foreheads against each other.

After a few moments of just staring into each other's eyes, Troy kissed Gabriella one last time on the lips before turning off the boom box and grabbing it with his right hand as his left still held Gabriella's right hand. "Better get you inside before it gets too cold."

"Is it cold? I didn't even notice," retuned Gabriella, smiling back up at him. "Guess you have that effect on me Troy."

"You sure know how to make me feel special Gabriella," said Troy, kissing her right hand before he gently led her to the French doors to go back inside.

A few moments go by before Taylor steps out of the shadows of the patio with Ryan's video camera in her hands. After Paul had told her that Troy had a romantic plan for Gabriella, knowing Taylor or Tessa would want to know, Taylor had begged Ryan for the camera and a tape, not telling him exactly what her plans were. She then made it to the patio by running a little bit around the mansion through another side door that Paul showed her to catch Troy on the second verse. 'Thank you Paul for letting me know about this! One day, I will let Gabriella and Troy know this special moment was caught on tape and they will thank me for it, I know they will,' thought Taylor as she slipped the spare tape Ryan had given her and put the original back in, having no intentions of sharing with anyone the actual tape. 'Telling Tessa about this latest romantic move of Troy's though is definitely going to happen! She'll die!'


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or places created by the High School Musical franchise or by Disney!

Chapter 30

On Monday morning, Gabriella got out of Troy's truck with his assistance, smiling as he wrapped his fingers around hers after he closed the truck's door and the couple started walking towards East High's halls. Troy nodded to Paul and Curtis as they fell into step with them and saw some of the other security team get out of the same car Paul and Curtis were in to scatter around the campus. He also noticed a small group of photographers heading in their direction, already taking pictures. It seemed as if Paul and Curtis also picked up on this and moved to block Gabriella from view between their bodies and that of two other guards who returned, using Troy as the fifth deflector.

'I don't know how Brie deals with this without going crazy, really. I'd hate to be watched like this, all the time,' thought Troy as the group hurried to East's main entrance before he opened one of the main doors for Gabriella, letting her enter before him. He almost ran into her as she suddenly stopped when the noise in the halls increased as soon as they appeared. 'Oh God, now what?'

Troy saw the looks girls and guys alike were giving them, some of them curious, some of them with obvious dislike. Seeing that Gabriella would not move on her own, Troy placed his left hand on the small of her back while he grabbed her right hand and held it in his right as he gently pushed her forward, guiding them through the halls until they reached his locker, where both of their things were still stored. He opened the locker and let Gabriella grab what she needed while putting some other things in before Troy did the same himself while he kept a good eye on Gabriella and the expressions on her face, which bounced between sadness and a neutral expression. When he was done, Troy closed the locker and grabbed Gabriella's hand, bringing it up to his lips so he could press a soft kiss to the back of her hand and then over the promise ring.

"Don't listen to what gossip is going around, all right? You know what's up and that's all that matters. Oh, also that I love you," murmured Troy, giving her an encouraging smile.

"I love you too," responded Gabriella, smiling back at him as she stared into his ocean blue eyes that shined down at her.

Troy and Gabriella started walking down the hall to Darbus' homeroom together, passing by Gabriella's locker in the process. Gabriella paled a little as she saw new words etched into her locker: Slut, Spoiled Princess, Snob, and Traitor.

He felt her tremble a little and looked in the direction she was looking, cursing himself for not even thinking to choose to walk down another hall instead of this one. "Shh, it's okay Brie, you're not any of those things," comforted Troy, drawing Gabriella to him as he pulled her a little bit more down the hall and off the side so he could hold her in his arms, running his right hand through her loose hair while his left hand moved across her lower back in a soothing manner.

As they stood there together, loud words reached them from a little further down the hall, causing Troy to look for the source, curious even more so when he saw Chad and Taylor facing off with some football players and cheerleaders.

"Who are you to judge who Gabriella is? You don't even know her!" exclaimed Taylor, infuriated that she had just overheard her best friend being called a bitch and a slut in the same breath by a black haired cheerleader, Aly.

"Excuse me, like you know her any better. I bet you didn't even know she was a princess until the news broke and now you are just clinging on to her in hopes of becoming popular," returned Aly, her smile broadening as her boyfriend Jake's arm slipped around her waist. "Think your little basketball traitor boyfriend will help you there too? Football players like Jake here are far more popular."

"Not when our football team has one of the most mediocre records and our basketball team is one of the top in the state!" returned Taylor.

Jake laughed at this. "Danforth, you sure have a weird taste in girls. I never would have pegged you and Bolton to go for such nerdy girls. I heard the princess is fantastic in the bed sport and has left quite a trail of conquests behind her. Are we to assume the same for your little girlfriend?"

"Go to hell Jake!" returned Chad. "Lay off of Taylor and as for Gabriella, you don't know a single thing about her so why don't you, your girlfriend, and the rest of your team and friends back off and leave her alone. Gab hasn't done anything to any of you."

Aly rolled her eyes at this. "Oh no, she hasn't done anything to us but she has to the rest of this school! Look at you for example Chad! You are dating a nerd! She's beneath you! And Bolton? Dating a nerd again! They are not supposed to even talk to you except for maybe tutoring!"

"Chad's not stupid Aly, that's why he stayed clear of you!" retorted Taylor.

"You don't know what you are talking about Taylor," seethed Aly, no longer taking pleasure in this banter as she knew that Taylor was closer to the truth than even Taylor knew. 'Chad did ignore my advances but that's beside the point.'

"Better harness your bitch Chad, she's getting a bit overheated," joked Jake, getting satisfaction out of seeing the anger on the other guy's face.

Before Taylor knew what was happening, Chad lunged towards Jake and slammed Jake up against the locker, despite Jake's bigger build. "Listen to me, and listen to me well. You don't know Taylor, you don't know Gabriella, you don't know Troy, and you definitely do not know me so stop pretending you and your crew know what's up. These people you insist on calling beneath me and Troy are the best girls here at this school and yet you don't know what you're missing because you are too closed minded to see it but you know what? It's your loss, not theirs and definitely not mine. If I ever hear you talking shit about either girl again, you'll have me and Troy both to deal with, got me?"

"You think I'm scared Chad?" sneered Jake as he broke Chad's hold on him and pushed him back into the middle of the hall, Taylor reaching out and steadying her boyfriend. "You and Troy can bring it whenever you want but I guarantee that you'll regret it. Honestly, I could give a shit about who you two screw."

"Then what's with all the shit talking?" returned Chad.

"She's shaking up this school and she thinks she's better than all of us since she's a princess," answered Aly, looking directly at Chad this time. "You don't think it went unnoticed that your little mismatched group of friends were missing from the homecoming dance? We all know you all think you are so good now because you have royalty there but she's just a freaking princess of a small country! Someone needs to tell that girl she's a princess but she's still below our rankings in this school."

Taylor let out a sarcastic laugh at this. "Really? You think you are so superior to her? You don't know the first thing about Gabriella! She's sweet, smart, pretty, and talented, just to name a few things. Gabriella may be a princess by genetics but that isn't who she is. In fact, she's more down to earth and in reality than you and the rest of your cheerleading friends. So she's made a few of us realize it's okay to be who we are and to be friends with different people who have different interests. What are you going to do when we leave this red and white bubble we call East High Aly? You'll suffocate if you keep thinking this way. Gabriella Montez is my best friend because of the person she is not because she wears a tiara."

"Yeah, that's what you say now," responded Aly.

"It's what I've always said," corrected Taylor. "Look, just lay off her all right? She's gone through enough, way more than you'll ever know. Make fun of me all you want, I don't care, but Gabriella doesn't deserve this little gossip stream you all perpetuate. If you need to gossip, continue bashing me but leave her alone!"

Chad had to proudly smile as Taylor spun on her heel and left them, walking towards where Gabriella and Troy had been watching. He turned and looked at a shocked Aly and at Jake. "Gotta say it, my nerd of a girlfriend has quite a way with words. Gossip all you want about me but leave Taylor and Gabriella both alone. I don't want to cause a war here between us but as a fellow athlete Jake, just back off all right? Taylor was right when she said none of you have a clue about Gabriella. She's nothing like you've heard about even before she came to East and what she's been through, Aly, I don't even see you surviving it. Oh, and speaking of homecoming, Jake, good game against the Knights. We'll make sure to squash them just the same when our turn comes."

With that, Chad turned and followed Taylor down the hall, not really knowing where that urge came from to try to play nice when he was thoroughly pissed off at the group now behind him. 'Taylor, the ways you've changed me,' thought Chad as he realized that his girlfriend of such a short time was the source of this change in him and he wasn't even surprised that he was happy for it.

- - -

After dinner at the Montez's, Gabriella, Taylor, Tessa, Troy, Chad, and Zeke were seated in the brown living room with Taylor and Chad sitting together on the larger couch, Zeke and Tessa close together on the smaller couch, and Gabriella and Troy sprawled out on a blanket in front of the roaring fireplace, books, binders, and notebooks spread out in front of all six of them. The three couples had spent the dinner between just them since Gabriella's parents were at a social dinner event and were now studying in silence peppered with some talk here and there between each couple as they helped each other and between Taylor and Gabriella about an AP English assignment.

An hour and a half later, Troy started feeling his eyelids droop as he continued to try to read the fine print in the novel he had to read another chapter of out of four by the next day. His eyes were a bit blurry but Troy kept trying to continue to read the novel, ignoring the fact that he had read the same page five times in a row before he was able to finally understand what was going on.

Gabriella noticed her boyfriend's brown head start to drop down as he continued to read as he laid on his stomach and knew he would be out cold in a few minutes if he stayed in that position any longer. She got up and silently smiled at Tessa, who looked up to see what her best friend was doing. Gabriella grabbed one of the large pillows on the larger couch and indicated it and then Troy, giving Tessa an idea of what she was up to.

Tessa took a break from her essay outline to watch as Gabriella kneeled back down on the blanket and put the large, overstuffed pillow next to Troy, who looked up at his girlfriend. She watched as Gabriella gave him a sweet smile before she moved her backpack and his bag behind the pillow to stand it upright. Troy saw what Gabriella's intention was and nodded his head, rolling over and sitting up, leaning up against the pillow, which did force him to keep himself more alert. Tessa found herself smiling as she saw after a few minutes of reading again, Troy put his book aside to run his fingers down the side of Gabriella's right cheek.

'They really are so perfect for each other, it's amazing,' thought Tessa as she saw Gabriella's face glow with a mixture of happiness and love again.

Taylor also found herself watching the couple in front of the fireplace fifteen minutes later, grinning as she saw Gabriella now snuggled into Troy's embrace as she leaned her back against his chest, sitting between his legs, Troy reading his novel with his left hand while Gabriella continued to write in her notebook, her knees drawn up to support it. 'I'm so happy they are happy, especially after a drama filled day like today. Who knew that not only would I actually come toe to toe with a cheerleader but that Sharpay would bring the Ice Queen back to put some other East High students in their place after hearing them snickering about Gabriella in the lunchroom today.'

_It was in the middle of lunch period when Gabriella heard the snickering and gossip get louder from a few tables nearby, becoming too much to ignore. _

"Can you believe her? Gabriella thinks she's so high and mighty because she'd dating Troy Bolton and she's a fucking princess. Someone needs to knock her down!"

"No kidding. She sweeps in thinking she owns the place and then shows us this past weekend she's too good for us? What a total bitch!"

"I heard there's strong evidence against her in that case she's tied up in, the one with the West guy. I can't believe she got our Troy mixed up in all that!"

"Maybe she is telling the truth, maybe he raped her."

There was a scoff before "Just like I'm the tooth fairy. If he did, she asked for it. A guy like Riley Sutton could have gotten any West girl he wanted. Why would he waste his time with trash like her?"

"Besides, we all know Gabriella has a reputation for being easy. Why else would Troy be dating her?"

"It's not like he actually loves her. Troy is a player to the bone, he's just behaving for now but trust me, in a few weeks he'll let his other side back out. This won't last girls, mark my words."

"After all, the slut can only satisfy him so many times before it becomes routine right? Nerds like her aren't that creative when it comes to things not on paper."

Gabriella tried to hold the tears in but found one single drop rolling down her left cheek, despite her rapid blinking. 'Am I really that snobbish and loose looking?'

Sharpay heard the murmurs as well and grew angrier by each word spoken, finally losing it as she saw the solo tear roll down Gabriella's cheek. Before anyone could see anything coming, Sharpay angrily stood up from the table and quickly approached the table that seemed to have been gossiping and laughing the most at her friend's expense. "You all think you are so damn superior and funny don't you?"

The girls and guys at the table, mostly teens best described as part of the goth group of East High, stared at the blonde. "So what if we do? We have the freedom to do and say whatever we want to," returned a brunette girl with layers of white makeup on her face.

"Apparently you also have the freedom to come out into society looking like shit with too much makeup on," retorted Sharpay. "Listen up, I want you all to stop talking about Gabriella Montez like you know who she is and what she is about. You don't!"

"Oh, the Ice Queen is actually defending another female? I thought that went against your rules Queenie," taunted a black haired guy with black fingernails that were flashed in front of Sharpay as he ran a hand through his hair. "So what is it, are you getting paid to stick up for her like her bodyguards who are littered around here?"

Sharpay gave him a disgusted look. "As if! Don't you think I have enough money as it is? The only reason why I'm talking to you, you dark people is to tell you to stop this ridicule of one of my close friends! Gabriella would never ever say a negative thing about any of you because she doesn't know you. Don't you think she is owed at least the same back?"

A blonde with lips painted dark blue cocks her eyebrow at this. "Us, owe her? For what? Just because you think your little group is so special to be friends and be from different cliques doesn't mean that the rest of us have to accept it. And I disagree with your comment about her never gossiping. She made quite a loud statement by not gracing us by her presence at the homecoming game or the dance, just like you did. Obviously you both deserve each other, the pair of rich sluts that you are."

"Oh, like you were even there," threw back Sharpay, staring the other girl down. "I bet you weren't even at the game and got drunk with your buddies the night of the dance. I'm right, aren't I? See, as much as you think no one notices your little group, people do. They see what you are about and who you are. Yet, having learned what I have from my friend Gabriella, the girl you are so committed to crucifying for doing exactly what you did, that you probably aren't the dark, sulky, unfashionable people I think you are. Maybe you do have hearts and maybe some of you even like cute fluffy kittens and rainbows. For her sake I'm not going to trade insults here with you over what I think you are but let it go, as I hope you will let her off for what she hasn't done to you. Just tell me, were you even anywhere close to East High this past weekend?"

The black haired guy looked back at her and shook his head slowly, some regret coming into his eyes. "We were definitely not," he admitted, glad to see some of his friends looking just like he felt.

"Then please, don't talk about what you don't know. I know, I know, I am one to talk, I'm not only the Ice Queen but Gossip Princess but I can tell you, ever since I met Gabriella, I haven't repeated a single thing that wasn't factual. And our group isn't the only evidence of our precious social clique walls crumbling either. Look around, there are many other tables of friends who were always there but were never comfortable showing their friendships out of fear of persecution, much like what you have been treating my friend to. If you have to know, Gabriella didn't skip on the dance or the game because she thought she was too good, in fact she really wanted to be there. She didn't go because she's dealing with some personal issues related to the trial, real pain, as well as other issues that had her parents concerned. I'm not telling you any more than that but I want you to know, she isn't a rich snob who thinks she's above this entire school body. In fact, I'm starting to think Gabriella Montez would rather be one of you than what she is today for a number of reasons," concluded Sharpay before spinning around and walking back to the table, calmly sitting back down and eating a piece of sushi her chef had prepared that morning for her lunch. As soon as she was done chewing, she looked around to see nine faces looking back at her. "What?"

"Thank you," murmured Gabriella, a sweet smile on her face as she looked over at her blonde friend. "That meant a lot to me Shar, the way you stood up for me."

Sharpay smiled back. "Hey, that's what girlfriends are for Gab. I'll always be here to cover your back as you would do for me."

The group watched in somewhat shock as Gabriella leaned over and hugged Sharpay who was sitting next to her, smiling more as she felt Sharpay actually hug her back. When they pulled away from the embrace, Sharpay saw that eight faces now were staring at her. "What? Honestly, it's as if you all think I'm made of real ice. Who couldn't love our little princess here, that is once they got to know her? Hey, if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be talking to most of you here."

"Gee, thanks for that blessing Gabriella," joked Chad, earning a chuckle from Zeke and Troy while Sharpay shot him a glare.

"Tay, you better get your boy under wraps before I seriously contemplate shoving my stiletto in his eye," returned Sharpay, narrowing her eyes at the dark skinned boy who suddenly stopped laughing as the image Sharpay described started forming in his mind. "I would totally do it too."

Chad swallowed nervously and looked around the table, glad to see that he was separated from the blonde by the table and had at least a few of his guys on each side of them to help block her if Sharpay did decide to do something. Seeing the panic on Chad's face made Sharpay grin even more, knowing she still had it in her to be the full Ice Queen everyone at East thought her to be.  
  
Taylor looked over at Chad and smiled to herself as she saw her boyfriend discreetly drawing a basketball going into a basketball hoop in his Geometry notebook. "You know, maybe you should take drawing instead of Geometry," teased Taylor, earning a chuckle from Chad. 

"I would if I could, trust me," returned Chad, leaning over and kissing Taylor lightly on the lips. "Check out Zeke and Tessa's latest mischief."

Taylor looked over at the other couple and giggled a little as she saw not the couple kissing as she had expected they would be, but currently in the process of taking as many photos of Troy and Gabriella cuddled together as they could before being noticed finally by Troy.

"Hey! We have enough paparazzi outside, thank you very much," protested Troy, alerting Gabriella to the picture taking going on.

"Tessa!" exclaimed Gabriella.

"Gabriella!" mimicked Tessa with a laugh. "Trust me, you'll be begging for these pictures later, they are that cute."

Zeke nodded his head in agreement. "They totally are and I'm even admitting that as a non-gushy guy."

"Princess, would you like the sundae bar laid out now?" asked Harry, Gabriella's favorite butler, from the doorway of the room. "It's about the time you indicated you'd like them."

Gabriella smiled over at the older man. "Yes, please. I think we all need a study break and some sugar."

"Very well," replied Harry, snapping his fingers before leaving the room as some of the kitchen staff came in with a few cartons of ice cream, fresh whipped cream, different bowls of candies, nuts, and some cut up fruits, and a gravy boat filled with hot chocolate syrup.

"Dude, is this for real?" asked Chad as he and Zeke immediately got up, rushing over to the side table that was set up with all the goodies. "This is amazing!"

Zeke stepped back as Harry returned with a platter full of fresh brownies and placed them in front of him. "Mmm, now that smells delicious!"

Sensing that Troy would want to dig in as well, Gabriella untangled herself from him and scooted forward so he could get up. Instead of making his way straight to the side table though, where Zeke and Chad were already building monster sundaes, Troy squatted down with his back towards Gabriella. After a few moments of nothing happening, Troy looked back at her over his shoulder. "You coming for a ride or not?"

Gabriella's eyes lit up at this prospect and eagerly got up, wrapping her arms around his neck as he secured her legs by his sides with his hands before taking off into a slow run out of the brown living room and around the hall for a little bit, Troy taking delight in every squeal of laughter coming from his girlfriend. He almost dropped her though as he spotted the Evans twins staring at them, Ryan with a smile on his face and Sharpay with an amused look. "Uh oh, we have intruders Brie."

"No, I invited them. Come on in Shar, Ry. Taylor and Tessa are probably fighting with Chad and Zeke for at least some of those sundaes I promised you two. Go on in to the brown living room, we'll be right there," replied Gabriella with a grin, letting out a small scream as Troy fake dropped her but secured her legs around his waist a second later.

Ryan just shook his head and chuckled, heading into the designated room and leaving his sister out in the hallway. "You know, I don't know how you two can pull off that sappy yet sweet in love vibe all the time. Don't you get tired?" asked Sharpay, a smile playing on her vanilla kiwi lip glossed lips.

Troy looked over to Gabriella's face, which was now resting on his right shoulder. "No," they both responded, grinning at each other before they looked back over at Sharpay who just rolled her eyes.

"Figures that answer would be in unison. Well you two be cute together out here. I'm sure Chad would hate to lose his appetite for his sundae if you came in glowing like you are now," teased Sharpay as she walked into the brown living room.

"Are we that lovey dovey now?" questioned Troy, readjusting his hold around Gabriella's thighs.

"I think that would be a yes and don't even bother asking Chad that now," returned Gabriella. "Is that a bad thing?"

Troy shook his head. "No, I guess we're starting to suck at hiding our feelings from the world now though."

"Maybe it's because we simply can't contain the magnitude of chemistry and love we share now," suggested Gabriella, wiggling her eyebrows together, which made Troy chuckle.

Troy leaned his head forward and kissed Gabriella's cheek, making sure to stay balanced in the process. "Have I mentioned lately how adorable you are?"

"Not lately," pouted Gabriella.

"Well you are very adorable, especially when you pout like that. Ready for some ice cream? Or what's left of it?" asked Troy.

After Gabriella nodded her head, Troy spun around and started heading back into the living room, only to see two cameras now taking pictures of them. "All right girls, enough fun with the cameras," stated Gabriella, hanging on as Troy jogged over to where Tessa and Taylor were standing. "Any more and I'm going to be suspicious you're working for the paparazzi outside."

Taylor looked back at her with an apologetic look while Tessa looked back at Gabriella with an unashamed look on her face. "Like I said earlier, you'll thank us one day," promised Tessa, a little sparkle in her eyes.

Troy chuckled. "Whatever you say Tess, whatever you say," said Troy as he walked back into the living room and let Gabriella down onto the blanket in front of the fire. "Want me to make you our favorite sundae?"

Gabriella grinned back at him. "Sure."

"Coming right up my princess," teased Troy as he got back up and grabbed two bowls.

Gabriella looked around the room and couldn't help but smile at these amazing people she now hand in her life, actual friends she felt that would be there for her, even in the years to come. She watched as Zeke and Tessa stole a quick kiss on the small couch while they thought no one was looking and as Chad fed Taylor some of his sundae. Of course, there was also Sharpay and Ryan, who were currently fighting over what toppings really defined a sundae and how very little calories they were imagining that they were consuming at the moment. Her favorite sight though was observing her brown haired boyfriend as he carefully scooped out chocolate chip and strawberry ice cream into the two bowls and then got to work on their special sundaes.

'If there's something I'm supposed to take away from this move here to Albuquerque, it's to treasure these moments and the people you love dearly in your life, especially someone like Troy Bolton,' thought Gabriella, a wistful expression on her face that clued in Taylor, Tessa, and Sharpay as to what and who she was thinking about at that very moment.

The three girls grinned at each other, silently exchanging the same thought, that each of them were just that delighted that Gabriella seemed to have finally found some peace in a life they knew was overfilled as of late with more pain and heartache than most teenage girls go through during most of their teen years put together. At the same time though, each of them also realized that Gabriella also had the balance, the extreme happiness and good memories she's shared with all of them and especially with Troy.

'It's all about the balance,' concluded Taylor in her mind, smiling again as Troy handed Gabriella a bowl with their special sundae. 'That's really the secret to getting through life, the balance of the good, the bad, and everything in between.'


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Taylor just shook her head as she watched her crazy haired boyfriend stuff another handful of orange, brown, and white M&M's into his mouth from the Halloween bowl right next to him. "Honestly Chad, you've only been sitting down here for five minutes and half the bowl is gone!" exclaimed Taylor.

Chad looked down at the bowl and saw that his girlfriend was right. He looked back up at her and shrugged. "Not my fault they are yummy!"

Zeke chuckled from the seats behind Chad and Taylor. "Chad, you would eat anything that was put in front of you."

Troy laughed at this statement, knowing its truth, from where he and Gabriella were curled up a few spots to the right of Chad and Taylor in the Montez's theater room. "Remember the time that Chad ate that whole cube of butter?"

Jason let out a spurt of laughter from the left side of where Zeke and Tessa were sitting, where Jason currently had his arm draped around Kelsi's shoulders. "I've never seen anyone look more sick the hours after that. Even I was smart enough to say no to that dare!"

"Exactly! It was you Zeke who dared me to do it in the first place," responded Chad, feeling a bit queasy just thinking about the butter stick. "You knew I would do it."

"Guilty but at the same time, I didn't think you'd eat the whole thing. I thought you'd be all macho Chad and show us you could do half before common sense kicked in. I didn't realize you didn't have any of that either!" argued Zeke.

Tessa looked over at her boyfriend and shook her head. "You seriously dared Chad to do this? When was this, in third grade?"

"Try three weeks ago when we were bored," supplied Troy, pulling Gabriella closer to him and kissing the top of her head. "That's what happens when you girls leave us to go shopping."

Gabriella's hand instantly shot up in the air. "I beg to differ! I was here at home, not shopping. Why weren't you here then?"

Troy rolled his eyes. "Blame that one on butter boy. He wouldn't let me leave his house to come and see you, something about me not spending enough time with the boys."

"Which you haven't been!" called out Chad, grinning as Troy gave him a dirty look. "It's always, Gabriella this, Brie that. Come on man, what happened to guy time and all that?"

"It got upgraded by girlfriend time!" retorted Troy, smiling more as Gabriella kissed his cheek.

"I liked that answer," said Gabriella, kissing Troy back as he leaned down and captured her lips for a quick kiss.

A scream echoed through the room which turned all their of their attention back on the big screen that was now showing a pretty blonde being stabbed as she was running away. "Now why are we watching this marathon of horrifying movies again?" asked Kelsi, feeling a bit sick at the sight of the fake blood that was now oozing out of the girl's wounds.

"It's Halloween Kelsi, and since the Evans twins, Shar's boyfriend, and Martha had other Halloween plans, we decided to crash Gabriella's place," stated Tessa. "I mean, we do have everything we could possibly want here."

"But it's no party, I'm sorry guys," replied Gabriella, guilt flooding her again, reminding her that most of the people in the movie room were there just because she wasn't allowed to go to the big Halloween bash their other friends were at currently. "Really, you all can still go, there's still plenty of time."

"And miss watching you and Troy swap tonsils while some poor blonde is being knifed, diced, and gutted? Never!" teased Chad. "Honestly Gab, that party is overrated anyway. Chucky isn't even going and that says something since it is a college party and my brother loves partying."

"So where is he?" asked Taylor.

Chad shrugged his shoulders. "Hanging out with Tom and Sammy probably."

"He still hangs with them despite what Riley did to Gab, Troy, and Paul?" questioned Jason. "I wouldn't be able to man."

Gabriella shook her head, signaling her instant disagreement of this mentality. "You can't blame Tom for having a brother who is as, well, as much of a jerk as Riley is. Tom and Riley aren't the same people, just as Sammy and Alicia aren't. I'd be upset honestly if Chucky ended his friendship and bond with those two over what happened with their siblings."

"Are you serious?" asked Zeke. "You really would want them to be friends like that?"

"Well yeah, it's not like Tom is the one who attacked me and Sammy definitely didn't push me down out on the track and spit lies about me all over East High," replied Gabriella. "If Chucky thinks they are cool enough to be friends with them, I trust his judgment."

"Gab is right you know," added Taylor, giving her best friend a smile. "Siblings are totally different from each other in most cases. Look at Ryan and Sharpay. Both are good people but for different reasons and we all know that until Gabriella came around, we would never have seen the positive side to the Ice Queen while Ryan has shown his caring side here and there. There's also Chucky and Chad. Both funny guys but one has more maturity and wisdom than the other. Same goes for me and my older sister. We may look alike but our personalities are so different."

"That's true," agreed Kelsi. "And I have lots of experience with the Evans twins to confirm how different they really are even though they appear to be in synch with each other."

Another scream filled the room, reminding the friends that they were there to watch movies. They all turned their attention back to the screen and watched as the killer came after a red haired guy in the woods with a chainsaw, having previously cut down a brunette girl seconds before. Gabriella snuggled into Troy's embrace as his arm tightened around her shoulders, allowing her to rest her head on his left shoulder while his left hand absently went up and down Gabriella's left arm as they continued to watch the movie.

- - -

After two movies, the gang began to get restless in their seats so they started talking to each other again, not putting another movie in, which is the state they were in when Annette and Stephen found them. "Well, good to see you aren't totally focused on the horror tonight," commented Annette, a smile on her face. "We just came in to let you know that there are Halloween surprises in the dining room, most of it sweet."

Stephen let out a chuckle as all the guys in the room immediately got up and ran to the dining room's direction, leaving the girls behind. "I guess I can see where their interest lay," joked Stephen, getting elbowed lightly by his wife. "Sorry, but I think I was that way too when I was that young. Good to see things haven't really changed that much. Food still is the way to distract any teenage boy."

Gabriella rolled her eyes at her father. "Oh Dad, what am I going to do with you?" asked Gabriella as she got up and walked towards where her parents were standing.

"I guess we'll find out another time, another day," returned Stephen with a smile as he returned Gabriella's hug. "You girls better get out there to get some of the dessert for yourselves. I don't know how much will be left after those guys are done."

The girls quickly left Gabriella's parents behind as they walked down the halls towards the dining room, three of the four screaming as their boyfriends popped out at them, Taylor smacking Chad hard on the arm for scaring her while Tessa just glared at Zeke and Kelsi warily eyed Jason. Troy looked at Gabriella who was just staring back at him with a smile on her face.

"Was I not as scary as the other three?" asked Troy, confused as to why Gabriella didn't jump and scream as the boys jumped at them from around the corner, some chocolate on their lips as they had already dug into some of the desserts before coming up with the plan to scare the girls.

Gabriella shook her head. "No, I guess some part of me had a feeling you four would try scaring us like you just did. Besides, how could I ever be scared of you?"

Troy grinned down at her, somehow touched by what she said. "Well that's a good thing then. I'm glad you aren't scared of me or jumpy. How did you suspect our secret plan though? We came up with it like two minutes ago."

"You're guys and I have a great sixth sense," teased Gabriella, kissing Troy on the cheek before tugging on his hand that was in hers. "Come on, we better go to the dining room before all the treats are gone."

Troy nodded his head and followed Gabriella into the dining room, chuckling as he saw that Jason, Chad, and Zeke had dug back into the chocolate cupcakes while Tessa, Kelsi, and Taylor were making sundaes with the fresh brownies Annette had made herself with all the toppings, including orange and black sprinkles. "Wow, your parents went all out for a last minute get together."

"They just try to make up for me being unofficially under house arrest," replied Gabriella, giving Troy a little shrug. "I don't mind it so much when you guys are around but I also feel guilty we can't be like a normal couple, a normal group of friends who can go hang out at the local pizza place or go bowling. The only exception may be only to go sky diving as that's a reserved place where no one else could follow us or start a fight."

"True, it would be hard for West to sneak onto a plane only to harass us or even paparazzi for that matter. Hmm, maybe that could happen," thought Troy out loud.

Gabriella saw the thoughtful expression on his face and shook her head. "No way! Troy, I was just joking about the sky diving! I'm scared of heights, remember?"

"Well yeah but you have to conquer that fear eventually Brie. What else are you scared of? I know spiders are on that list but I can't think of anything else," stated Troy.

Gabriella's expressions sobered a little as she thought of the big thing he was missing. "I'm scared of losing my parents and I'm scared of losing you Troy," confessed Gabriella, catching Troy's attention as he was just about to bite into a warm brownie.

He gave her an astonished look. "Seriously? I rank as one of your fears?"

"Well not you but the idea of losing you. Call me silly but I've been thinking about the inevitable a lot lately and it scares me more than you know to accept the fact that one day in the future there's going to be a whole ocean plus lots of land separating us. Emma has reminded me that you won't always be here and I know that but it's tough to accept," revealed Gabriella. "But the idea of losing you permanently, losing you in some stupid fight with the West boys or something like that, that's far worse than knowing you are living a happy life in another country from me. That's really what my fear is."

"Oh Brie, don't let that be a fear, please," begged Troy, seeing her brown eyes fill with tears. Troy placed the brownie in his hand down on a plate on the table and brought his girlfriend into his embrace, running one hand up and down her spine in a comforting gesture while the other held the back of her head close to him against his chest. "Nothing is going to happen to me Brie. I know I'm not invincible but I won't go down without a fight. I made a promise to you the night of our little Homecoming Dance to always be with you and to be here for you. Absolutely nothing can make me break that promise Brie."

Gabriella nodded her head, glad her face was turned away from the rest of their friends as she blinked back tears. The truth was, Gabriella had been having dreams lately about losing Troy in a fight and had discussed this with Emma, who diagnosed it stemming from a mixture of the memory of Troy fighting in the past, especially with Riley on that night, and Gabriella's dependency on him. After that session, Emma made Gabriella promise her to work on trying to rely more on herself, which Gabriella had tried doing and was getting better at as each day went by.

Troy felt Gabriella tighten her hold on him and returned it, trying to wrap his mind around what she just confessed to him. 'I know I'm scared of losing her too, and I know that day is always looming over my head when she will have to leave for Copanvy, but I didn't know her fear was so close to the surface. How long has she been internalizing this?' wondered Troy. He looked to his left and saw that their friends were discreetly watching while they continued to talk to each other, worry on each of their faces as they saw a little bit of a break down from Gabriella for the first time in a long time. Troy mouthed that Gabriella was fine, which washed away the worried looks from the guys but the girls were still concerned. When he felt Gabriella start to pull away, Troy looked back down at her and saw that she had gathered her composure again.

"Sorry," apologized Gabriella, looking back up at Troy.

Troy shook his head. "Don't be, there's nothing to be sorry about. Remember, that ring on your right hand symbolizes my promise to you to always be here for you, and I always will be, honest. I'm not going anywhere close to another realm anytime soon, I promise."

Gabriella was about to say something back when she heard two familiar voices she hadn't heard in a while. She spun around and grinned as she saw Beth and Sarah standing in the entryway to the dining room. "You came!" exclaimed Gabriella, quickly walking to the two girls she hadn't seen in ages.

Beth and Sarah both returned her hug and then Tessa's before they came further into the room. "Well, we realized after talking to Tessa how very long it has been since we've actually seen you and thought we'd stop by for a little bit. The invitation is still good right?" responded Sarah, looking around at the other teenagers in the room.

"Of course! I'm just glad you two came and yes, it really has been a long time but I know life gets hectic," stated Gabriella, happy that her only two friends from West besides Tessa were now there with the rest of Gabriella's friends.

Beth smiled at Gabriella, noting how much better Gabriella looked from a few months ago when they last saw each other. "You really do look happier. I think East has done wonders for your stress level."

"Something like that," murmured Gabriella, giving Troy a small smile before she turned her attention back on Beth and Sarah who were now being introduced to the people they didn't know by Tessa.

"Good to have them back?" asked Taylor, walking over to Gabriella, her bowl with her sundae still in her hands. "I know you've missed them in the past months."

Gabriella nodded her head. "I have, no offense to you and the rest of the friends I've made at East, but I kind of figured it was just an example of what's to come, you know? People growing apart when you don't conveniently see each other every day."

"Are you talking about college or something that is uniquely tied to you?" questioned Taylor, knowing both scenarios would eventually come, it was just a matter of which would be first.

"Both," replied Gabriella. "I'm just hoping I can see you guys off to your different colleges before I have to leave to the life waiting for me in Copanvy."

"So college here in the U.S. is out already," stated Taylor. "Parents already axed that?"

"In their own way, yes. We haven't had the talk about me not being able to stay but I know I've been on borrowed time that may not have even been mine had it not been for the trial. If nothing else, this trial happening has allowed me to be here longer than I think I would have been otherwise," revealed Gabriella.

"Well don't start saying good-bye to all of us. I can only speak for myself here really but Gab, I don't see our friendship vanishing just because we're a long distance apart. Remember, you and I were close even when you were a West Knight," teased Taylor as she scrunched up her face at the last part before laughing with Gabriella.

"I won't be but it is something that has been on my mind. Anyway, enough of this dark thought process. Let's dig into these treats!" exclaimed Gabriella, grabbing a plate and filling it with various treats from cupcakes to cookies to her mom's brownies before she was handed their special sundae by Troy, giving him a kiss on the cheek for making it for her again.

"Dude, what's in those special sundaes of yours?" asked Chad, already on his tenth brownie in addition to the other cupcakes and cookies he had consumed.

Troy grinned back at his best friend. "You'll never know but trust me, Brie and I love them," replied Troy, smiling more as he saw that twinkle back in Gabriella's eyes.

"Wow, I can totally see what you mean now Tessa, they really do seem that much closer," commented Sarah, smiling as she saw the couple gaze at each other. "Guess things are easier now?"

Tessa shook her head. "I wouldn't say easier but I think they have grown that much more individually to be that much closer together."

"Hmm, talking about us again?" joked Zeke as he moved to slip his arms around her waist from behind, nuzzling her neck a little.

"No, we're still the new kids on the block compared to Troy and Gabriella over there," returned Tessa.

"True, and we have far less drama which is a very good thing," agreed Zeke. "So Beth, has Tessa been behaving over at West?"

Beth looked at her good friend and grinned, seeing the look Tessa shot her. "I think for Tessa, she has been on her best behavior. No more fights or crazy things, at least at school. Sarah and I attributed that to you actually."

"Hmm, did I tame the wild Knight girl then?" teased Zeke.

Tessa rolled her eyes. "More like I tamed the Wildcat, just like Gabriella and Taylor have done. Check out Taylor and Chad," replied Tessa, indicating the couple that had been bickering a moment ago only to now be feeding each other a cookie and a brownie. "You have to say, those two are a great example of how different we all are yet share this same bond."

Zeke agreed, then pointed out Kelsi and Jason, who were holding hands while talking to Gabriella and Troy in another corner of the room. "Kelsi too seems to have found her Wildcat. I'm glad they got together finally. I didn't know if they would since they are both so shy."

"No, more like Kelsi is shy and Jason, well he just isn't as quick to be with the program as the rest of the team," replied Tessa, earning a laugh from other three. "I'm happy they are happy too. Now, if we could just hook up Beth and Sarah here, as well as Martha and Ryan, everyone would be happy in world of high school love and infatuation."

Tessa, Beth, Sarah, and Gabriella started to chat again as they got caught up with each other's lives after Gabriella came over, Zeke and Troy talking about professional sports while they watched the group of girls continue to animatedly talk to each other, chuckling at times at the expressions on Gabriella's and Tessa's faces at various times. Eventually, the rest of the gang gathered together in that area to talk for a while before Chad decided it was time to head back into the movie room to watch more movies.

"Come on! We haven't even gotten to _Grudge_ and _Grudge 2_! Oh, and _The Ring_!" exclaimed Chad, getting excited at being able to watch those movies now instead of listening to the girls chat among themselves.

"Umm, slight problem, we don't have those," pointed out Gabriella before seeing the grin on Chad's face stay on his face.

"I figured as much, I brought them myself!" responded Chad, earning a groan from the girls. "What, I thought tonight was Halloween, the night of screams and fright?"

"Chad Danforth, I swear if any of us get horrible nightmares it's all going to be your fault," stated Taylor, shaking her head at her boyfriend.

"I'll die laughing if it's Chad that gets them," added Tessa.

Zeke laughed at this. "I'm actually pretty positive it will be Tess."

"Well then what are we waiting for? I want to see Chad get nightmares brought on by himself!" exclaimed Jason.

The gang moved back into the movie room and settled down into the seats, this time Gabriella and Troy sitting together with Sarah and Beth to their left so the three girls could still catch up here and there while Taylor and Chad were seated on their right. Tessa and Zeke were seated in the row of chairs behind Gabriella and Sarah while Jason and Kelsi were snuggled together in chairs a few to the right of them, more behind Chad and Troy. There was talk going on between the friends for the first few minutes of _The Grudge_ until the action started happening, which is when Chad made them all quiet down.

"Come on! I'm trying to watch the movie," complained Chad.

"Sorry horror movie freak," replied Tessa, laughing a little at how serious Chad was about his movies. "I had no idea you were such a movie buff."

"Shh," returned Chad, turning his head back to the screen.

Tessa just shrugged her shoulders and gave the screen her full attention, seeing that everyone else was back to watching the movie. She smiled at Zeke a few minutes later as he slipped his arm around her shoulder, letting her lean her head back against his shoulder until Tessa jumped along with Kelsi and Beth a few minutes later in reaction to what was going on in the movie. Zeke chuckled a little at this and felt Tessa elbow him hard, sobering him a little before she turned back to watch the movie again.

'Note to self, don't laugh at Tessa's fears,' thought Zeke as he rubbed his side where she had made contact. 'Man she has a hard jab.'


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Gabriella paced in her personal lounge as she thought about what she would next say to Emma, who was there to conduct another session. It was now the second week of November and Gabriella was due to testify the next day while Troy and Paul were still at the courthouse as far as she knew, testifying or having testified earlier or waiting to testify. Gabriella didn't know the timeline well, but the prosecution team had just told her it would be better for her to not to be there as it would be a hard day of testimonials from both guys and that it would probably go easier if they both knew she wasn't in harm's way.

"I think I'll be okay tomorrow," said Gabriella, finally deciding that would be the most appropriate answer to Emma's question of how Gabriella felt about testifying tomorrow. "I just have to find my happy place right?"

Emma nodded her agreement but had a look on her face that told Gabriella it wasn't that easy. "Yes and no. Testifying up on that stand is going to be a lot harder than just sitting behind him Gabriella. There will be no guard standing between the two of you so it will be harder to block him out."

Gabriella let out a sigh. "I know and that is something that worries me. What if the defense team goes straight at me? What if I lose it on the stand?"

"Then it happens. Gabriella, no one expects you to be stoic up there on the stand and I am willing to bet that this defense team of his is going to hit you hard but you can't let them get the better of you. If you cry, you cry. Just remember though that you are safe and nothing will happen to you in that courtroom. You have your team, you have the court's security, he's not going to attack you the way he did those months ago," assured Emma. "Is that what you really are worried about?"

"Yes," admitted Gabriella. "The images are bad enough but knowing that I saw him again at the park when he was supposed to be behind bars, that just adds this possibility in my head that Riley could strike again and hurt me, violate me."

"But he didn't," Emma gently reminded Gabriella. "Riley was at the park with you and had you within his grasp but he didn't violate you, right?"

"He would have though if… Troy hadn't been there," returned Gabriella. "God, what if Troy hadn't been there?"

"Okay Gabriella, stop and take a deep breath for me. Please, focus on me," instructed Emma as she started seeing signs that Gabriella's imagination was taking off straight over the cliff with Gabriella on board.

Gabriella sat down on the love seat nearby and looked back at Emma, actively trying to push aside the images of Riley jumping over the desk he had been sitting behind for the whole trial and running at Gabriella, pinning her to the wall as he ripped into her again. She closed her eyes against it and finally managed to push it away, focusing instead on the memory of how she felt just a few days ago when she and Troy had fallen asleep watching television and she woke up smiling as she found Troy's arms securely around her waist. 'God, you still can't do this on your own, can you?'

Emma watched as Gabriella began to calm down, as the features of her face softened and the worry left her, leaving Gabriella in a better state than when she first came into the session after arriving home from school thirty-five minutes ago. "Good Gabriella, good control."

Gabriella opened her brown eyes and stared sadly at her therapist. "I wish it was the right control though."

After some time of processing Gabriella's words, Emma understood what Gabriella meant. "It was a happy place that involved Troy right?"

"Right," admitted Gabriella. "I'm supposed to do this on my own though right? Become less reliant on him?"

Emma let out a sigh. "No, you aren't supposed to try to block him out of your life Gabriella, I think that's where you are misunderstanding me. Troy makes you happy, he makes you feel safe, and that's something that is great, really. What I have been trying to get you to make progress with is relying on Troy to make yourself feel safe in everyday life. Memories shared and used for happy places is fine, that means you have a great sense of peace when you are with him but as you live your life, I want you to be able to feel that you can depend on yourself, that you can save yourself. Does that make sense?"

"That I need to be less of a damsel in distress right?" returned Gabriella, realizing that she really had been playing that role more than she would like to admit. "More like Mulan versus Sleeping Beauty?"

Emma couldn't help but laugh at this example. "I think you understand me based on that. Yes, more like a Mulan type character who relies on herself yet also has a soft spot in her heart for her love interest. She's tough but also has those emotions. As I said, I think it's great that you have found what you have with Troy, the true love that's there. You can have both Gabriella, the independence while still having a wonderful relationship with Troy. You just need to work on finding that balance."

"I think I understand," agreed Gabriella, actually getting the true meaning behind what Emma said. "Well, now is as good of a time as any right? To find my inner strength?"

"You will need it tomorrow, I won't lie to you," responded Emma. "So let's start with today. How did you feel today without Troy being at school with you?"

Gabriella took a few moments and thought back to everything that happened earlier on in the day. "Well, there was driving to school with Curtis in the car instead of Paul. That was interesting. I don't think I've ever driven with just Cutis in the car. Anyway, from there we went into school, dodging the ever present paparazzi. It seems like the actual reporters aren't around, they must be at the courthouse if they are still covering, which it seems they are in tidbits since they can't get much out of anyone with the gag order. Once inside I went to Troy's locker to get my stuff. I went to homeroom and was sad to see there was more vandalism on my locker door. I'm sure Principal Matsui is getting upset with the number of times he has to clean that door."

Before she could continue, Emma stopped Gabriella there. "The vandalism on your locker door. What did it say?"

"Princess Whore," replied Gabriella, trying to clear her mind immediately of the image of those words on the door. "A few days ago it was 'Bitch'. I'm not sure if they don't know that I don't use that locker now or if they don't dare do anything against Troy's locker."

"How did it make you feel to see that?" prodded Emma.

"Sad but not by much. I think sadly, it's becoming norm for me. It's not affecting me as much as it used to, when it happened the first and second time. In some odd way, I think I'm actually expecting it," revealed Gabriella.

"So it didn't faze you that much, interesting. What else happened today?" asked Emma, writing more down in her notebook.

"Just went to classes, had lunch with the gang who acted fairly normal although I know they were all keeping an extra eye out for me, especially Chad. Troy probably said something to him. PE even went fine, Alicia has been pretty quiet lately besides the sneers and jabs she gets in every once in a while. Maybe she's finally just accepting everything?" concluded Gabriella, shrugging her petite shoulders a little. "That is possible right?"

"It is possible but I would still be careful around her. So it sounds like you did great on your own today Gabriella. Very Mulan of you. Did you even realize there wasn't much of a difference in how you felt today versus a day last week when Troy was holding your hand?" questioned Emma, turning a page to write again.

Gabriella paused, thinking of the emotions she felt during school. "There was a definite sense of missing Troy, even Paul, being around but I wasn't scared or nervous," admitted Gabriella out loud. "Like when I saw those words on the locker, when I heard some of the gossip going around still, it didn't faze me, it didn't cause me to want to run and hide again. I think I've just chalked it all up to being a typical day. Is that bad?"

"Well are you just ignoring what's going on around you?" questioned Emma.

Gabriella shook her head. "No, I hear it, I see it, but I think I'm just actively making an effort to stop it from bothering me so much. It's like this quote that Troy and I talked about that his mom told him when he was a young boy and that I read and loved the instant I read it. I only let these malicious people win when I let them hurt me, I'm the only one that can control their effect on me and I think I'm just tired of being the target, of letting them cause doubt in my head, in my mind."

Emma startled Gabriella with her sudden clapping, causing Gabriella to look up at her therapist in surprise. "Do you know what an accomplishment that is Gabriella? What you just said to me? Do you even understand what progress you just showed?"

After she blinked a few times, Gabriella shrugged her shoulders a little. "A little?"

"More than a little Gabriella! You just went a whole day at school by yourself, without the one person you feel you couldn't live without, that is in some ways your security blanket, and you survived it by controlling your own thoughts and emotions. You aren't ignoring the problem, you are dealing with it and you have resolved not to let anyone hurt you any longer. Gabriella, I am so very proud of you!" exclaimed Emma, grinning from ear to ear. "You haven't ever said those words or even those ideas to me Gabriella for as long as we've had these sessions. I'm starting to see the strength and personality of the true Gabriella Montez, the young woman before everything happened to you, before having the weight of a crown put on your shoulders, and definitely before Riley attacked you. This is amazing!"

"Wow," muttered Gabriella, sitting back into the seat she was in now, absorbing everything Emma just said to her. 'Could she be right? Am I actually really better now? Is this where I've been fighting to be all this time?'

Just then, there was a knock on the door that Emma got up and opened, smiling more as she saw who it was on the other side of the door. She quietly closed the door behind her as she stepped out into the hallway to talk to Annette privately.

Annette saw the ecstatic look on Emma's face and knew that something big had happened. "What? What has happened?"

"Gabriella has had the biggest breakthrough she has had so far and the timing couldn't have been any better!" shared Emma, truly happy for the young woman on the other side of the door. "She's learned how to handle herself and these outside forces that are working against her per se. I think it's only a matter of time before you have your daughter fully back to you."

Annette's eye lit up at this prospect. "Really? She's happy again, like really happy and not just the fake happy she throws up sometimes?"

"Well I wouldn't say necessarily truly happy but she's getting there. I can't say more but I have confidence that she'll leave that courtroom tomorrow being more together than we had feared she may be. You'll see, just give her time your highness," replied Emma, rolling her eyes as Annette waved her hand dismissively at the title.

"I still don't understand how Gabriella got you to call her Gabriella but I can't seem to do the same," complained Annette, smiling affectionately at the other woman.

"Trust me, she did a lot of begging and it is also better for her for us to have built this relationship that we have," responded Emma. "Plus she insisted and insisted and insisted."

"Then I guess I'll have to insist, insist, and insist that you call me Annette," replied Annette.

Emma paused for a moment before she finally nodded her agreement. "All right, I can see where I am beat. I need to go back inside to finish up with Gabriella but is there something you came by for? Do you want to talk to her?"

"I was just checking up on her. It's okay, I can come back a little later, I don't want to interrupt progress. Thank you Emma, truly, for everything you have done to help our daughter," said Annette, meaning every word.

Emma smiled back at the would-be-queen. "It's my pleasure."

Annette watched as Emma turned and slipped back into the room, wondering how much progress Gabriella really had made in the past few days, weeks. 'She does seem less jumpy and much more happy. Maybe my dear Gabriella really is coming back, the confident, happy, fun loving girl I've always known. God, please let that be true!'

- - -

Troy grinned as he finally found Gabriella reading a book for her AP English class in the brown living room, curled up on the little couch which was drawn close to the blazing fire, a blanket around her lower half. He stared at her for a few moments before actually entering the room, having caught the wink Paul had thrown his way before vanishing in the direction of the training room. Troy made every effort to be quiet, using every moment he had to enjoy the sense of peace Gabriella had about her at that very moment, not even biting on her lip as she read as was her norm. He snuck up behind the couch and slowly, so as to not startle her, snaked his arms around her shoulders, nuzzling her neck with his nose and mouth while he heard a soft giggle escape her. "Miss me? Of course you did!"

Gabriella smiled as she turned her body to face him, kissing his left cheek before pulling away to study his face. "Actually, I hardly noticed you weren't there at school today. I must have been too busy flirting with this hot new guy," teased Gabriella, fighting the urge to outright laugh as she saw the surprise on Troy's face first and then the forced hurt look on his face as he realized she was totally kidding.

Troy unwrapped his arms from around her and walked to the front of the couch, lifting her legs up as he sat down on the couch and let her legs rest over his lap. "Hot new guy huh? I guess I'll just have to use this negative emotion from today on him to turn him into a not so hot new guy," kidded Troy, somewhat regretting it as he saw the light-hearted mood vanish from Gabriella's demeanor.

"How was it testifying today? Was it hard? Did they grill you and Paul?" asked Gabriella, anxious to know what she and Tessa would face tomorrow.

"They did grill us but it wasn't anything Troy and I couldn't handle," announced Paul before he entered the living room. "They play hard ball, I won't kid you, but the truth is the truth. You don't have anything to be afraid of."

Troy began to play with the promise ring on Gabriella's right hand as he saw her start to bite the corner of her lip. He let out a sigh and said, "I think for me, the hardest part was sitting there and looking straight at Riley, forcing my one thought that was like a mantra in my head to stay silent as I answered questions."

"And what was running in your head?" asked Gabriella.

"How much he wanted to hurt and torture Riley Sutton," supplied Paul, knowing Troy would never admit those feelings to Gabriella. "I don't blame him either, I wanted to do the same thing when I was up on that stand and when I've been in the courtroom on other days."

Gabriella shook her head. "None of that would help though. He'd still be Riley and what he has done to me would still be done. It wouldn't take any of that away."

"You mean to tell me that you don't want him hurt even in the slightest?" asked a shocked Paul.

"Well, yes and no. Yes, I really resent him for what he did to me, took from me, but at the same time, I believe in fate and I believe in karma. If nothing else, from all my time with Emma, I've come to realize that the past is the past, we can't alter it. Nothing any of the three of us do can make everything magically better. We have to work at it, I have to make myself whole again and I think I've done a good job so far," confessed Gabriella. "Why are you both looking at me like I grew two extra heads?"

Troy just shook his head, amazed that Gabriella had said so much in so little time. "I'm just surprised is all. So are you going to be okay tomorrow? I can convince my parents to excuse me from school again to be there for you in the courtroom."

Gabriella shook her head. "No, definitely not. I need to do this on my own, I need to face him in a safe environment to help me get over this. Besides, you have a test tomorrow Troy," reminded Gabriella. "Speaking of, when are you going to study for it?"

He rolled his eyes at this. "Leave it to you to abandon a real life serious situation to talk about school. I studied this weekend remember? And I brought my notes and book with me here," answered Troy, picking a strap of his bag up to show her it was on the floor. "Honestly Brie, if you want me there, I'll be there."

"No. As much as I appreciate your offer Troy, I can't ask you to skip out on school when you have a test. Your grades matter this year especially if you are trying for a scholarship," replied Gabriella.

Gabriella's cell phone went off from the side table and she picked it up, smiling a little as she saw the name on the caller ID. "Hi Tessa," greeted Gabriella, causing Troy to smirk.

"Hey Gaby. Are you ready for tomorrow?" asked Tessa.

Gabriella let out a long sigh. "I am but I wish everyone would stop asking me that, really. You're testifying too."

"Well yeah but I'm a witness to the events that led up to, well, you know," replied Tessa, hating she didn't know the right words to say.

"That led up to the rape?" filled in Gabriella.

Troy and Paul both stared at the brunette after hearing her call Riley's attack on her "rape" for the first time. She noticed and just stared back, slowly realizing the power of that one word being uttered from her lips for the first time. "Whoa," muttered Paul, shocked that Gabriella said what she did.

"Was that Troy I just heard?" questioned Tessa, getting over her own surprise.

"No, it was Paul," answered Gabriella. "Troy is here though."

There was a pause before Tessa asked, "Can I talk to him?"

Gabriella shrugged her shoulders and handed the phone over to Troy, who looked at her puzzled before taking it. "Hello?"

"Bolton, how does Gaby look right now? Is she really okay? That was a bit of a shocker, hearing that one word from her," confessed Tessa.

"Tell me about it. Shocked us here too but I think that one word shows she's a lot stronger than most of us are giving her credit for," returned Troy, picking up Gabriella's right hand in his to kiss the back of it before getting up from the couch and walking to the windows to talk to Gabriella's best friend as Paul began talking to Gabriella again.

"I know she's strong but that's a big thing for her to say that word," replied Tessa. "I even have trouble saying it."

"I can tell. Trust me Tess, she's fine. If she wasn't, no offense, but I wouldn't be talking to you right now," returned Troy.

Tessa let out a little laugh. "Oh, I know that already Troy. So what are you about being over there the night before she's testifying with me?"

"I thought I'd spend some time with her since I missed her today from not being at school and I won't see her tomorrow. I also wanted to give her some warning, you too, that the lawyer Sutton has is pretty aggressive. He'll try to get under your skin. I almost launched myself at Riley at one point because he was sitting there smirking at me while his lawyer tried to make me into this big evil guy that stole Sutton's girlfriend and drove Riley into being crazed. I guess maybe they are trying to go with insanity as a defense?" suggested Troy. "All I know is that my control was hanging on by a small thread and I had to force myself to look away from the jerk before I did something that would land me sharing a cell with the bastard."

Tessa was silent for a few moments. "So it was that intense? I was hoping you were going to tell me tomorrow would be easy."

Troy chuckled. "Come on Tessa, since when did you become the girl that liked things easy? Seriously though, I think you and Brie will be fine. Do me a favor though. Please, please, call me or text me if she's not okay all right? I'll ditch school in a heartbeat to be there for her if she needs me."

"Did she ask you to come?" questioned Tessa.

"No, she said she would be fine," returned Troy.

"Then she will be. If I have learned nothing else about our girl Troy, I have learned that Gabriella is a strong individual with great control. It may have been damaged with Riley's initial attack and some events here and there at East and West combined but I can see her spirit really coming back and taking over again. That's a good sign Troy, really. That's sweet though for you to want to be there for her. I promise if she's not well I'll call you as soon as I can, all right?" offered Tessa, knowing that Troy's worry was genuine.

"Thanks Tessa," replied Troy. "You know, you really aren't that scary these days."

Tessa scoffed. "That's what you think. I've just been saving it to give Riley a good ass kicking mentally and through looks for tomorrow. After testifying though, you are fair game again Bolton, that much I can vow to you. You are, after all, my best friend's boyfriend who is just so fun to tease."

"Ha, ha," dragged out Troy. "Want to talk to Brie again?"

"Nah, I'll let you guys make out and swap spit for a bit before you get caught by a bodyguard or worse yet her parents before you got back to studying," stated Tessa, smiling on the other end of the phone as she imagined the blush that was probably on his cheeks. "Like I said Troy, you are just so much fun to tease."

"Good night Tessa," got out Troy, trying to suppress the chuckle that he was trying to stop her from hearing.

"Night," returned Tessa, smiling as she ended the call, thinking of how well she and Troy got along as friends now after really getting to know each other and somewhat relating to each other over the common thing between them, Gabriella.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Tessa looked at her watch as the judge called a lunch break, surprised to see it was only noon. She was seated next to Gabriella on one of the benches in a separate room where they were told to stay until they were each called. So far, they had sat there for three hours with neither of them being called in and now there was a break for lunch, at least that's what the security guard and Paul communicated to them as Paul slipped into the room, just ahead of some officers who were leading Riley through the room and out the side door.

Just before Riley was escorted out, he turned his head, almost as if he sensed her and leered at Gabriella, giving her a look that sent chills down her spine before he was pushed on the shoulder by one of the guards to keep him moving out of the room.

"Are you all right?" asked Tessa, instantly concerned as Gabriella's mood seemed to have changed quite dramatically.

Gabriella silently nodded her head, trying to gather her thoughts. "I guess we should go get some lunch?"

"Actually, we're having it brought to you two," supplied Paul. "There's a huge crowd of reporters and photographers outside the entire perimeter of the courthouse as we think word got out you would be here today. We won't be able to get you in and out safely and no where we would be able to take you would be far enough to lose everyone in such a small amount of time. Will you two be okay here?"

Tessa nodded her head but looked to Gabriella for confirmation, which she gave after some hesitation. Paul said something into his earpiece all the royal security team were allowed to wear inside the courthouse although most of their weapons were checked in daily outside the courtroom with the exception of one gun.

The two girls sat in silence as Gabriella lost herself into her thoughts with Tessa worrying as she sat next to her. Soon the food arrived, distracting both of them as they ate the roast beef sandwiches, each with their own bag of chips and can of soda. Paul stayed in the room with them along with a court appointed guard, both serving as a harsh reminder of what both girls would be facing within the next couple of hours in the room next door.

Just as Gabriella was stuffing the paper wrapper from the sandwich into the now empty chip bag, she felt her cell phone vibrate in her purse that was sitting next to her on the chair. She looked at the court's guard who nodded his head before she reached in and grabbed it, seeing that Sharpay sent her a picture text. Gabriella froze and felt her mouth drop open as she stared at the image in front of her before the cell phone clattered to the table. Tessa, alarmed by the sound of the phone hitting the table, looked up just in time to see the first few tears slowly course down Gabriella's cheeks before she herself picked up the phone. Paul came over and the two looked as Tessa pulled the text back up, both staring with disbelief of what was on the screen:

_Message: A picture is worth 1,000 words right?_

Below the message was a very clear picture of Troy standing in the halls of East High with a brunette up against a locker, his hands tightly wrapped around her waist, while his lips were connected to the brunette's.

"Gaby," started Tessa, stopping as she saw Gabriella shake her head, furiously wiping away the tears that wouldn't stop.

Paul eyed the young woman, quickly coming to a decision before he left the room. Tessa used this time to pull her chair closer to Gabriella so she could pull her best friend into her arms, letting her cry even more into her shoulder having decided it was better to let Gabriella cry than for Tessa to rant but this didn't stop her from silently cursing Troy Bolton. 'I trusted you with her, you promised you would never hurt her, what the hell have you done now?'

Soon the door opened again to reveal an anxious Annette quickly moving through the doorway before she rushed to her daughter's side, her heart breaking with each tear that dropped from Gabriella's chin. "Shh, Gabriella, it's going to be all right," soothed Annette, pulling her daughter to her after Tessa let go of Gabriella but kept hold of her right hand.

"How could…he…do...this today?" got out Gabriella between sobs, trying weakly to gain control of her emotions.

Annette shot Tessa a look who reluctantly showed Gabriella's mother the picture and message with it. The mother closed her eyes against the image as the reason for her daughter's distraught state became crystal clear. "Maybe it isn't what it looks like Gabriella," suggested Annette, not really knowing if she believed it herself but knowing that Gabriella didn't need this emotional breakdown and distraction right before she was about to testify. "He could be pushing her away."

Tessa stared at Gabriella's mother, shocked that she seemed to be defending Troy. "But Mrs. Montez," protested Tessa before a shake of the head from Paul silenced her.

"I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding Gabriella. He loves you, remember that," continued Annette, throwing a look at Tessa that begged for Tessa to play along.

"Your mom is right Gaby, Troy loves you. Remember, he made a promise to you that night when he gave you this ring," said Tessa, hating the words coming out of her mouth, the complete opposite sentiments than what she wanted to say about the brown haired boy who would be getting it from her as soon as the courtroom was dismissed for the day.

By then, Gabriella had slowed down her breathing and controlled the tears to be just a few before stopping them all together as she looked down at the ring on her right hand. 'The promise ring, Troy's vow to never hurt me, to always be here for me. I thought he meant it back then. Do I not think so now? Would he really do something like kiss another girl when he knew I would be gone and going through hell here? That's not like him but pictures don't lie, right? God, this is so confusing,' thought Gabriella before she was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of a door opening.

She looked up and saw two guards come in with Riley behind them, standing out quite a bit in his prison issued orange jumpsuit, his hands handcuffed behind his back with another two officers following behind him.

Riley quickly took in the emotional wreck that was Gabriella at the moment and smirked. "What's the matter princess, afraid they'll find out you're a fucking royal slut instead of the virginal saint you tried to be with me before we fucked? Little did I know then how big of an accomplishment it was for me to screw you. How many guys can say they fucked a princess? That was the best news ever when I heard!" called out Riley before he was roughly shoved out of the room before he could say anything further.

Gabriella leaned back in her chair heavily as soon as the door closed, letting out a deep, shaky breath. She closed her eyes as she tried to find something positive to focus on but failed as the image of Troy kissing another girl back at school came into mind with Riley's little speech echoing in her head at the same time. 'God, Riley's right isn't he. I am a slut, otherwise why would Troy really want to stay with me? He's been so good to me but he can take only so much. Can I really blame him for kissing another girl when I'm not there?'

"Don't you dare start listening to a word of his lies Gabriella Montez," demanded Tessa, snapping Gabriella out of her thoughts. "I know you are letting the lies he spat eat at you and I am demanding you to stop this nonsense right now!"

Gabriella blinked a few times at the harsh tone her best friend had used but realized that only that type of voice would have successfully brought her out of her monologue in her mind. "Troy deserves better."

Three simple words were enough for Annette, Paul, and Tessa to see that the defenses Gabriella had worked so hard to have for the testimony today were cracking if not completely gone. Annette was pulled from the room by one of the royal guards as the court was coming back into session before she could do anything but begged the other two remaining to do what they could in the time they had left before the testimonies.

Neither had time though as a court appointed guard came into the room and announced it was Gabriella's time to testify. Tessa and Paul watched helplessly as she was taken out of the room and the door closed behind her, Paul unable to follow as he was one of the three victims and was not allowed to be in the room while Gabriella testified.

"God, how could that bastard do that to her?" asked Tessa, pissed off that Gabriella went into the courtroom in such a vulnerable state because of a boy.

"Who are you madder at Tessa? Riley for his lies or Troy for whatever happened in that picture?" questioned Paul, unsure which of the two males had Tessa more riled up.

"Both!" exclaimed Tessa, getting a stern look from the guard that told her to quiet down. "Riley is such a jerk for still messing with poor Gabriella's head and Troy is an ass for betraying our trust in him and screwing some other girl!"

Paul refrained from speaking and allowed the silence between him and Gabriella's best friend to reside, tension filing the room as both anxiously thought of the sweet brunette in the next room who was currently being forced to relive one of the worst days of her life.

- - -

Gabriella had used the time she was being examined by Walter Bayley, the United States Attorney who was leading the prosecution team for the trial, to try to sort out her thoughts and emotions while she answered Walter's questions. He had made sure not to ask too many graphic questions while still asking the appropriate ones to make sure Gabriella's side of the story was told to the fullest degree.

Now Gabriella eyed the advance of Rick Sullomon, saw the determination in his eyes, and knew that he was not going to be as nice to her in terms of his questioning. 'Remember Gabriella, you swore to tell the truth and that's all you will tell today. The truth will set you free, right, or something like that?' thought Gabriella just as Rick stopped right in front of her.

"So how are you doing today Princess Gabriella?" addressed Rick, not really looking like he truly cared to hear her answer.

"Fine," replied Gabriella, getting more nervous as to what was about to be asked of her as she saw Rick nod his head while an odd glint became evident in his green eyes.

"Fine? After supposedly being raped as you claim? Not many rape victims are fine, which makes me believe even more so that you are a liar, as we have heard you called before in this courtroom by others. See, rape victims are never fine," stated Rick, getting some satisfaction from the fact that his plan to unnerve Gabriella was working. "They have damage, they have nightmares, they have self-image issues. They aren't fine."

"Objection your honor! Defense has no question," exclaimed Walter, not all that surprised at the defense's tactics.

"Sustained. Mr. Sullomon, please get on with your questions unless this cross-examination is over," ordered the judge, whose name Gabriella learned earlier that morning was Thomas Warren.

"My apologies Judge Warren," said Rick although Gabriella saw no sincere apology on his face. She glanced over at Riley and gripped the fingers of her hands that were now resting on her lap tighter as he leered at her, almost taunting her in some ways. "Princess, what is your relationship with the defendant?"

Without a thought, Gabriella said, "He was a classmate of mine while I was at West High."

"Just a classmate? Not a friend, not a boyfriend?" questioned Rick. "Are you so sure about that?"

"Yes," replied Gabriella, "Riley and I were only classmates. We never hung out off the school grounds unless it was a school event and even then there were other people around."

"You were alone on that afternoon in late May," reminded Rick. "Tsk tsk, we already find you in contempt Princess. What else are you lying about?"

"We weren't alone more than a few minutes," returned Gabriella. "I was home with my bodyguard Paul when he left to get my bag from the car. Next thing I knew, Riley was locking the front door and advancing before Paul started to try to come back in, getting slapped before Riley went after Paul."

"So you have been alone with Mr. Sutton," remarked Rick. "Describe for us what happened after your bodyguard came into the house."

"They began fighting," said Gabriella, letting her mind slip slowly back into the memory she had suppressed for so long. "Riley and Paul began wrestling and I was getting scared for myself and Paul both. Soon after Riley knocked Paul unconscious by throwing him against the wall I think."

Rick slowly shook his head. "You either are lying or have a very bad faulty memory. You missed a big part here. What happened between the two males fighting and your bodyguard being knocked out?"

Gabriella thought for a few moments, trying to replay everything in her mind and froze as she remembered the letter opener. "I grabbed the letter opener and stabbed Riley in the side," whispered Gabriella, blinking back a few tears from thinking back of the fear and guilt she had felt at that moment those months ago.

"In other words, you supplied Mr. Sutton with a weapon," stated Rick, satisfied he seemed to be getting even more into her psyche.

"Objection your honor! The witness did not willingly hand over the weapon to hurt her own bodyguard," argued Walter.

"Overruled. The evidence so far collaborates that the princess was the one to introduce the weapon into this situation," returned Judge Warren. "Continue Mr. Sullomon."

"Thank you your honor. As I was saying, you stabbed Riley and then what?" questioned Rick.

"Wait, I didn't stab him that deep, I couldn't. I let go after I felt it barely slip into his side," protested Gabriella, realizing how everyone in the courtroom must now see her as the criminal. "I couldn't go through with it, I couldn't hurt him."

Rick smiled a little. "So you have feelings for Mr. Sutton after all."

Gabriella furiously shook her head. "No, never. It's not in me to hurt another life form though, I'm just not that way."

"Let's get back onto topic here Princess. So, your bodyguard is now knocked out. What happened next?" pushed Rick, knowing he'd reach his goal in this next series of questions.

Gabriella stared at him for a few moments before closing her eyes and forcing herself to relive the memory that had haunted her so often but that she had finally been able to control. She opened her brown eyes again and met those green ones of Rick's while she felt the tears start to surface again. "Riley advanced on me faster than I realized he could. We struggled on the floor, I begged him to stop, and he raped me."

Rick raised an eyebrow at this. "Mr. Sutton raped you? How do you know it was rape Princess and not just sex between two teenagers?"

"Because," she got out, taking in a deep breath. "I begged him to stop, I told him no, I was screaming and he still ripped my clothes off, he tore me apart, he took away my virginity and didn't even bat an eye."

"How do we know this wasn't consensual sex that you are now having doubts about Princess? Girls your age want to have sex just as boys your age do but sometimes there is regret in the aftermath. How are we to believe that that this wasn't the case?" questioned Rick.

"I told him no!" shouted Gabriella, folding under the pressure and all the pairs of eyes she felt watching her at that very moment. "I've told him no for most of my time at West High! He wouldn't leave me alone, in the halls at West, at the school events, and then even in my own home! Do you know what it feels like to have your insides rip apart, setting off such burning pain and sad emotions in you that you just want to die? To have people staring at you as if you asked to be raped? To be violated in one of the worst ways possible? That's what my life has been ever since Riley did this to me."

"So you deny covering up having sex with Mr. Sutton so your boyfriend, I believe his name is Mr. Bolton, wouldn't think any less of you under the guise of it being rape? That's also a normal reaction when you're involved in a relationship and have a slip. It's human nature to want to cover up your guilt. However, in the process of covering up your affair with Mr. Sutton, supplying your friends and loved ones with stories of being raped, you have single handedly ruined Mr. Sutton's reputation and possible future. So what is it? What's been motivating you to play this sympathy card for all these months, to spread lies about the defendant, to want to destroy his life?" pushed Rick, his voice getting louder. "This is what you have done to him Princess, you have lied your way into ruining a young man's life. Think hard about this, what you are saying Princess. Recall what happened that day, remember what occurred. Is it the real truth you are speaking or just one big story?"

"I haven't lied about this!" exclaimed Gabriella, tears falling down her cheeks while her brown eyes slowly got that unfocused look, which happened any time she was getting overcome by a memory from that day. Her mind became less focused on the words coming out of the defense attorney's moving mouth as she started hearing Riley's voice in her head, from the taunting in the holding room from earlier to what she heard him say back on that fateful day. The intense feelings of Riley's hands on her again, all over her, while his lips bruised her skin choked her up. Gabriella desperately tried searching for a lifeline, tried to think of Troy, but all that came up there was an image of him kissing the brunette. She panicked as she searched for a way out of the feelings and echoes of the memory she hated to revisit but couldn't find anything until her eyes happened to fall on her mother and father who were looking at her with such love and concern in their eyes. 'I'm safe, I'm really safe. They're here, nothing will happen to me.'

Distantly, she heard Walter object to Rick's attack on her, hearing the words "Impeachment of Witness" and "badgering" among other words that didn't really stick in her mind as Gabriella fought for control of her mind and emotions again. 'Come on Gabriella, you have nothing to be worried about now. It's in the past, Riley is the past. He hurt you, he raped you, but he will never be able to do so again. Too bad Troy still can hurt you. No, he has nothing to do with this. Be strong Gabriella, don't allow Riley to win.'

When she was finally able to pull herself together, she wiped her face with her hands quickly and looked up at the judge, who was looking back at her with concern in his own light blue eyes. "You may step down now Princess," stated Judge Warren, gentleness in his voice that helped soothe her even more.

To his surprise, and even to her own, Gabriella shook her head. "Please, can I say something?" asked Gabriella, noticing for the first time that Rick was already seated next to Riley, who was currently staring at her while listening to something Rick was saying. Their brown eyes connected again but this time, Gabriella wiped away a few of the remaining tears away and straightened her back before looking back at the judge.

Judge Warren saw this little exchange and realized how important this would be for the young woman to his left. "You have the floor Princess."

"Thank you," said Gabriella, taking in a deep breath and sharing a look with both of her parents before she started speaking again. "I know that my behavior just now borderlined on hysterical, that it could question my sanity. I want everyone in this courtroom to know that I'm not insane, that I'm not lying, and that I am no longer going to succumb to the nightmares I've had to endure for many nights since May. At the same time, I admit that over the past months, I have been highly emotional and haunted by Riley and his actions. I have scars on my body I will gladly show you to prove the incident really did happen but the deepest wounds, the longest scars, are the ones that you can't see, that I wear on my soul, on my being. Riley took something very precious from me and it was definitely in a manner I don't think any girl or guy would want their virginity taken. I can't convince you of the truth alone but I don't want you to believe his lie either. It has taken me hundreds of days, thousands of hours, but I can finally sit here, under oath, and tell you that Riley Sutton raped me, forced me against my will, and that's something I will never be able to forget, as much as I wish I could. Everyone can blame me, everyone is entitled to their own opinion after all, but I refuse to be seen as the helpless victim anymore or the lying royalty. I'm just a teenage girl whose high hopes for a great end to her academic career through high school were derailed as soon as Riley had his way with me, with my life. I am here right now though to say it's over, your control over me and this continual torture you have put me through. It's so over."

With those last words, Gabriella looked directly at Riley, showing him he no longer was her personal boogeyman, that she recognized now that she could face him and had the inner strength to put the past finally behind her.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

_"What do you want Troy?" asked Gabriella, not even having to look up from her diary to know that he had entered her personal lounge. "Ignoring your calls should have said something to you."_

Troy stared at the love of his young life and felt sadness spread through his body as he saw that she didn't even deem him worthy to look at. "I know Brie but I had to come to you tonight, if not to at least see that you were okay after testifying but to also tell you something happened at school today. From the very little Paul said to me, I think you saw something that happened in the halls of East today, something you should never have seen."

Gabriella's head jerked up at this so she could stare at Troy. "Something I should have never have seen? Troy, if it isn't bad enough to get a picture of you kissing another girl right before I went through hell on the stand, you have the audacity to stand there and tell me I shouldn't have seen it? That your little cheating should have been kept a secret from me?"

"No! That's not what I meant Brie, honest," defended Troy. "I meant that you found out before I could tell you, like I wanted to. I also meant that you should never have seen what happened because it never should have happened. You don't deserve that."

"You're right, I don't, not after everything that's happened especially," agreed Gabriella. "So why'd you do it Troy?"

Troy took in a deep breath before venturing to sit down on a couch near the yellow accent chair Gabriella was curled up on. He looked into the crackling fireplace for a few minutes before he found the courage to look back at Gabriella. "You aren't going to believe me but I'm going to tell you the truth anyway. I was walking with Chad down the hall and dropped him off at his locker when we saw Taylor waiting for him. I continued on walking to our locker and was about to round the corner when Stephanie, a member of the cheerleading squad, launched herself towards me, wrapping her arms around my neck as she smashed her lips against mine. I tried pushing her off gently but ended up having to use greater force to break her hold on me. I didn't kiss her back but I know that her lips should have never touched mine and that I should have been faster. I'd understand if you hated me right now. I hate myself."

Gabriella looked at Troy, trying to decide if she believed him or not. Her mind was telling her that Troy was just trying to cover up his treachery while her heart was telling her that this young man in front of her never showed signs of straying before, that in fact Troy had proved over the last few months how very much he loved her. Her brown eyes searched his sad blue ones, seeing not only the depression but also the hurt he felt just then himself.

Suddenly, the door to her bedroom opened and Gabriella glanced up to see Taylor, Sharpay, and Tessa in the doorway. 'Oh God, Tessa is going to murder Troy,' thought Gabriella, surprised when the other girl didn't launch herself at Troy immediately or give him a dirty look. 'Or not…'

Taylor and Sharpay anxiously looked between Troy and Gabriella and both concluded they had gotten there just in time. "Gabriella, can we talk to you in private?" asked Taylor, looking at her best friend.

Troy, without saying a word, got up and left the room, leaving the three girls to sit on the couch he had been occupying.

"What is it Tay?" asked Gabriella, finding herself very tired all of a sudden.

"Can I see your phone?" asked Taylor, reaching out and taking the cell phone from Gabriella's hand. Taylor fiddled with it and brought up the picture text message, shaking her head sadly. "That really was what she was doing today then."

Gabriella looked back at Taylor confused. "What are you talking about?"

Sharpay stepped in and started explaining what she and Taylor had pieced together after school. "I lost my cell phone this morning in one of my first two classes, I think it was my second. I had it on my desk and then the next thing I knew, it was gone. I didn't find it until my last period when it mysteriously appeared on my desk before I even got into the room."

"Wait, so it wasn't you that sent me that picture?" asked Gabriella, not really knowing if she really cared or if that would make a difference.

"No, it wasn't me," replied Sharpay. "I'd kick Troy's ass before he kissed another girl instead of just taking a picture of him doing that, trust me."

"That's why I didn't jump him and throttle his behind when we first came in," added Tessa. "Taylor and Sharpay called me just after I was dropped off at home and came to pick me up, knowing you would need your best friends here for you right now. I had tried calling Sharpay secretly in that holding room but she didn't answer and I didn't dare leave a message with the guard in the room. Anyway, Sharpay and Tay explained to me in the car that Sharpay's phone was missing for most of the day and that Taylor thought Alicia was up to mischief today by little snippets she heard from the girl and the way she was behaving. I called Zeke on the way here and he told me he actually saw what happened as you know his locker is close to Troy's."

"What did Zeke say?" asked a quiet Gabriella, trying to absorb everything.

Before Tessa could say anything, Taylor asked, "Deep in your heart Gabriella, what do you think Zeke saw on his way to his locker?"

Gabriella blinked a few times as she looked back at one of her best friends and replied, "My mind is arguing this point out with my heart but since you asked about my heart, it believes there was a set up, that Troy didn't seek out this girl to kiss her or to make any advances on her. My heart believes he was in a situation he couldn't control and that he didn't in his heart betray me."

Sharpay, Tessa, and Taylor gazed back at their friend, all three realizing how much love the young woman had for the young man in her life, even after she saw something that should have in all rights completely destroyed that emotion.

"Let me guess, your mind says not to trust him right? That he hurt you bad?" returned Sharpay, knowing she was right especially after Gabriella nodded her head in agreement. "I think you should listen to your heart."

"Troy really does love you Gabriella. I even have proof in pictures and such that you two have that rare and genuine thing called love," stated Taylor. "Don't let some stupid and desperate plan to make you miserable succeed Gabriella."

"So you really think it was a set up?" asked Gabriella, somehow not all that surprised at how easily she accepted the suggested explanation.

Tessa moved and took Gabriella's hands in hers. "We don't think it, we know it was. Zeke saw the whole staged kissing scene in the hall with his own eyes and Zeke never lies, that much I know, especially when it comes to his friends. He told me on the phone that he was about to call out to Troy when he saw two girls talking before one indicated Troy was coming while the other launched herself on him, catching him by surprise. I even now know who stole Sharpay's phone and I'll give you one good guess with a hint. The hint is whoever stole Sharpay's phone is the same girl who took the picture and sent it to you, and is the same girl who probably led this whole little scheme for the cheerleader to surprise kiss Troy. She is also one very jealous and upset East High girl."

"Do you know how many girls I wouldn't put that past, now that everyone knows I'm a princess? I haven't gotten the warmest welcome at school lately but I can't blame them. More people seem to be friendlier than when I first got there but those who don't like me, really don't like me," responded Gabriella.

"But isn't there one out of all of them who you recognize would give anything to hurt you, as much as she believes she has been hurt by you?" pushed Sharpay.

Gabriella thought for a few moments before she realized who they were talking about. "Alicia," whispered Gabriella, looking back at her three best friends. "How could she?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," remarked Sharpay.

"Oh God, how I just treated Troy," said Gabriella, misery overwhelming her. "I don't even think I let the possibility of the picture being fake enter my mind when I saw it earlier today, I just jumped to the conclusion he cheated on me."

"Hey, I'm sure you had a lot on your mind Gaby, that is to be expected. You aren't Superwoman who can handle all these situations at once and be expected to be rational full time," soothed Taylor. "I mean, even just hanging out at East and seeing Chad with his lips on another girl would make me crazy and would cause me to assume he was cheating too. It's natural human instinct. You may be sweet and understanding but you are no real perfect saint, you're human."

"Still though, I was so terrible to him. I need to talk to him. Oh God, what if he left and I'll never get the chance to talk to him again?" asked Gabriella.

Tessa gave her a half smile. "I bet you he's still here. Go out and find him Gaby, we'll wait here."

Gabriella looked one last time at her best friends before giving them each a hug and then running out of the room, tracking down her favorite butler to see if he knew where Troy was, which of course he did. She came to a screeching halt as she ran out to the back patio, seeing Troy lounging on one of the teak cushioned chaises, looking up at the dark sky. "Troy," said Gabriella in a quiet voice.

Troy heard his name softly called and quickly got up from the chaise, standing up just in time to catch Gabriella as she rushed into his arms. "Brie?" he asked, surprised to say the least to have her in his arms. He heard some muffled sniffling as he wrapped his arms tightly around her, letting her bury her head further into his neck where he felt warm moisture from her tears. "God Brie, I am so…"

"No, don't," begged Gabriella. "You don't have to be, I do. Troy I'm so sorry for the way I treated you earlier and for thinking the worst of you. I'm so sorry Troy."

Disbelief was written clearly across Troy's face as he heard his girlfriend's apology. He pulled away a little to look down at her as he wiped away some of the tears lingering on her cheeks with his right hand. "Brie, you aren't at fault here, I am."

"No, I am. You've stood by my side through so much, through the rivalry violence, the gossip at school, and most importantly through a time that was very rough for me after Riley raped me. That you could even look at me let alone touch me after that means so much to me that I can't believe I almost threw all that away over some stupid picture," said Gabriella.

"But my lips did touch another girl's today Brie, I'm not going to lie," argued Troy. "I am sorry for that."

"Did you kiss her back?" asked Gabriella, now looking directly into Troy's eyes. "When her lips were on yours, did you kiss her back, did you welcome it?"

Troy furiously shook his head. "No, of course not! I was shocked at first and then angry that she felt she had the liberty to do that. I pushed her away, I swear it. I should have shoved her but I didn't want to hurt her until it became clear that I needed to use force to untangle myself."

Gabriella gave him a small smile before she wrapped her arms around his waist again, stepping closer to his body. "And that's who you are, not wanting to hurt a girl unless you really had to and even then, reluctantly. Let's just call this a mutual apology, all right?"

He blinked a few times down at her while she looked up at him from where her head was resting on his chest. "So we're okay?"

Gabriella nodded her head. "More than okay Wildcat. We're survivors."

Troy grinned, knowing that they would make it through this event just as they had everything else, together and in one piece.

Gabriella felt a nudge in her side and looked over to see Troy smiling at her from where he was seated on her right with her parents on her left. All four were now seated on the bench behind the United States Attorney's table in the courtroom all four were now too familiar with.

Annette glanced over and smiled at the small moment of happiness just shared between her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend. 'I just hope they really can survive whatever is coming their way, starting with today's final judgment,' thought Annette before squeezing Stephen's hand back, which held hers in his.

Paul glanced over at the royal family of his home country and the one individual who could and could not be part of that family one day and felt his heart tug at the scene, especially as he watched Troy wrap a comforting arm around Gabriella's shoulders, kissing the top of her head. 'Two weeks ago, I thought those two were a goner but they've shown the romantic cynic in me what real love is about. They really don't deserve to go through any more.'

Stephen was looking around the courtroom at all the tense faces although none caught his attention more just then than that of Riley's family, his mother and father along with his brother. Tom looked up at that moment and gazed right into Stephen's eyes, both looking away at the same time, not being able to stand the emotions on both of their faces. Instead, Stephen turned his attention to seeing how his daughter was doing. They had arrived in the courtroom and had the entire morning session on this last day without Riley being present for an unknown reason. Now everyone in the courtroom was waiting for Judge Warren to return with his verdict. Stephen looked up as he felt a firm pressure put on his left shoulder, seeing Walter Bayley standing there, a serious look on his face.

"What is it?" questioned Stephen.

Walter hesitated as he looked at Gabriella and Troy who were now looking at him as well as Stephen and Annette. "I was just informed as to why Mr. Sutton was not present this morning. He has been in the prison's hospital ward for the past fifteen hours receiving care."

"The hospital ward?" asked Troy, not understanding what could have happened to Riley in prison.

Walter nodded his head as his voice dropped so only Troy, Gabriella, Annette, and Stephen could hear and understand him clearly as they leaned in. "Apparently last night, Mr. Sutton was attacked by some inmates who had heard about the real reason why he was among them. As you know, several news stories have broken in the last forty-eight hours about the princess here being involved and her being, as I have to call it until after the verdict, 'allegedly' raped while more and more details have come out than were supposed to at this time. Inmates at the prison he is in are notorious for violence within those walls against each other and it sounds like two of the gangs united against him for what he did to you Princess Gabriella. It's actually a trend that many prisons have seen, a convict who is in jail for hurting a child or a woman getting themselves in trouble and in danger for their crime with other men there. By the time the guards were able to break it up, Mr. Sutton was on the ground and unconscious. He will be present for his sentencing, which is why I'm telling you this now. I want to make sure you are prepared for what you are about to see."

Just then, a court representative announced that Judge Warren would be in shortly so Walter stood back up and gave one last look at Gabriella before he walked through the wooden gates to the other side of the wall and stood next to the desk. A side door opened giving Gabriella her first view of a very bruised and injured Riley as he limped into the courtroom between two sets of guards as was usual. Their brown eyes connected, Gabriella surprised by the negative energy that was still there in his eyes. 'I guess getting beaten up by some of the toughest men isn't enough to rid Riley of all that hatred and evil essence.'

Riley was led to the defense team's table and was kept standing until Judge Warren entered the courtroom, noticing again just as he had on the first day that Riley was staring back towards Gabriella again. "I see that over the past few weeks nothing has really changed in your case Mr. Sutton. Please turn your attention up here," instructed Judge Warren, knowing what he was about to deliver was the right judgment. "Everyone, please be seated."

Once they were seated, Troy wrapped a protective arm around Gabriella's shoulders again and drew her closer to his body, holding her right hand in his on his left leg. He glanced over at Riley but was glad that Riley was now looking at the judge for he was afraid of what he would do if he saw the former West High basketball captain leering at Gabriella one more time.

"After several weeks of testimonies, evidence presented, and deliberation, I now have in my hands my prepared final judgment that I will deliver this afternoon on this case. Before I do though, as is normal custom here, would the defendant like to say anything?" asked Judge Warren, already anticipating what would happen next.

"Stick to what we rehearsed and prepared Riley, nothing more, got me?" murmured Rick low into his client's ear.

Riley stood up with the assistance of two of the guards and looked back at the judge, trying to straighten his back while hiding the pain that shot through his body as he stretched one of the sets of stitches he had. "Your honor, I would like to, umm, I would like to… God Rick, I can't do this," muttered Riley, looking at Rick, who was now glaring at him. "Yes, I would like to talk but I can't say this crap Rick has prepared for me to say. To be honest, I'm not sorry, I'm not sorry for what has happened. Everyone has been very 'poor Gabriella, she's hurt' but that's absolute bullshit! She was supposed to be mine, Gabriella was going to be my conquest and that asshole over there ruined it all. They hurt me, he took away the one thing I wanted. Well Troy, I hope every time you look at her, you remember one thing, I fucked her first and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it!" He turned his head and glared right at Troy, who shot him an equal look of hatred back while his arm tightened around Gabriella, feeling her tremble a little from the pure hatred and edge she heard in Riley's voice.

Before Riley could say any more, Rick shoved Riley back down in his seat while two of the guards stood right behind him, letting him know that they were armed and ready to use their weapons if he pulled anything funny. Judge Warren was using his gavel to gain control and order back in the courtroom as loud bursts of conversations started echoing off the walls of the courtroom. "Order! I demand order! Mr. Sullomon, you best get your client under control or he is looking at extending his stay," stated Judge Warren, giving Rick some time to try to talk sense into Riley who looked ready to have another outburst.

Troy and Annette took this time to look over at Gabriella who seemed to be gathering her thoughts and her focus together again. "Are you all right sweetie?" asked Annette, brushing back some of her daughter's dark brown hair back.

Gabriella nodded, giving her mom a tiny smile. "Don't worry, I'm all right," assured Gabriella, squeezing Troy's hand with hers at the same time. She also saw Paul and Stephen shoot her worried looks to which she gave them the same type of smile which didn't seem to reassure either of them that she would make it out of this afternoon in the same condition she came into it.

Seeing that everyone in the courtroom had finally settled down, Judge Warren cleared his throat and began announcing his verdict. "As I started saying a few minutes ago, after much consideration and many things to mull over, I have come to my final verdict in this matter. Mr. Sutton, please rise."

After seeing Riley not making any attempt to stand, two of the guards roughly pulled him up, forcing him to keep standing and looking forward towards the judge.

"The counts against you are one count of sexual assault and two counts of aggravated assault with a weapon. You have pleaded not guilty to all charges. Is this still your plea?" questioned Judge Warren.

Not trusting Riley to speaking again, Rick stood up next to his client and nodded his head. "Yes, your honor."

Judge Warren nodded his head and wrote some notes down on his legal pad. When he was done, he looked back up first at Gabriella and her family, then to Riley's family, and finally on the defendant himself, who was still standing. "After much examination of the evidence presented by both sides in regards to this case, NM-Z2895, I have found beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant, Riley Sutton, is guilty of the first charge against him, which is the one count of sexual assault. Furthermore, I also find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the second and third charges against him, which are the two counts of aggravated assault with a weapon."

Voices filled the room immediately upon the judge's words while a few sobs could be heard among the growing volume of noise. Gabriella looked to her left for the source and felt a tug at her heart as she saw Riley's mother crying into the shoulder of his father, Tom rubbing her back in an attempt to soothe her. The happiness she felt moments before when she learned that Riley was receiving the justice he deserved for raping and assaulting her, along with assaulting Troy and Paul, dimmed as she took in the pain that Mrs. Sutton must be going through. In fact, Gabriella was surprised to find a single tear rolling down her cheek, something that Troy caught as well.

"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Troy, confused as to why Gabriella seemed so sad after hearing that the trial was almost over and that Riley was found guilty for everything he had put them all through, especially Gabriella. "Brie?"

Gabriella wiped away the tear and tore her gaze away from Riley's family to look back at Troy. "I feel bad Troy. They won't be able to see their son again for a while I think and it's my doing."

"Oh Brie, don't think that way," soothed Troy as he brought Gabriella into the best hug he could give her. "This isn't your fault. You didn't do the attacking here, you didn't hurt three other people. Riley did, he did this to his family, not you."

Troy let go of Gabriella so she could face forward as Judge Warren used his gavel again to gain order in his court. "In terms of your sentencing Mr. Sutton, I took into consideration that the weapon was not introduced by yourself but was used by you against your victims as well as the fact that this is your first offense, having no prior record. For finding you guilty of one count of sexual assault and two counts of aggravated assault with a weapon, I am hereby sentencing you to forty-five consecutive years in prison with no chance of parole. I hope you use this time wisely Mr. Sutton to come to terms with the pain and suffering you have caused not only your victims but their own families as well as your own. This case is now dismissed."

While Stephen and Annette were busy thanking Walter and his office for a wonderful job well done, Gabriella watched with Troy's arm around her waist as Riley was embraced tightly by his mother as his hands were now handcuffed in front of him. Gabriella and Troy stood up and walked behind her parents to start making their way out when an orange flash seemed to catch their peripheral vision as Riley saw them get within striking distance and used that opportunity to make one last move. Troy was quick enough to shove Gabriella behind him but it was for naught as the guards that had escorted and kept watch over Riley during the day's session tackled Riley mid-jump over the barrier while Paul and Curtis rushed to Gabriella and Troy's side with a few of the other guards to make sure they were there in case anything else happened. Paul noticed the tension in Troy's body and put a firm hand on the young man's shoulder just before he saw Troy move forward towards a wrestling Riley, who was now getting hauled back onto his feet.

"Easy Troy, he's not worth it," advised Paul, keeping his hand on the teenager's shoulder. "It's done, Riley's been found guilty and is sentenced for a long time. He's not worth getting time in the joint for Troy."

Troy took in some deep breaths and managed to tear his eyes away from Riley, who was now being shoved towards the side door again. He looked at Paul and nodded his head. "I agree Paul, thanks for catching me."

"Sure thing. I know how much you care for Gabriella and want to protect her but that just isn't the way. Trust me, I've thought long and hard about that," replied Paul with a smile.

Gabriella watched as Riley was led through the front of the courtroom and towards the side door, holding her breath as she saw Riley struggle all the way. Just before he left the courtroom all together, Riley turned and searched out Gabriella's face from the crowd, smirking one last time at her. "You'll always be mine Gabriella! You'll always be my royal slut!" he called out before he was shoved one last time through the doorway and the door was slammed behind him.

She stood there for a few moments, staring at the now closed door in a trance as thoughts ran through her mind at high speeds. Memories of her rape mixed in with recent encounters with Riley eventually led to the happy memories she had shared with not only Troy but with her other friends and her parents, even with Paul. Gabriella thought of what her life had been like since Riley raped her, how she had seen the true character of so many of those she loved. The last thing she reflected on were the last words she would ever have to hear Riley say again. "I may have been damaged and hurt by you Riley, but I will not allow you to have my soul, mind, or body ever again. This is over, it is all finally over, and I am never letting you and your memory control me as it did before."


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

The next day rolled around and Gabriella thanked her lucky stars that it was Saturday, delaying the inevitable return to East High and the gossip that awaited her. Leaving the courthouse yesterday proved difficult as the reporters and paparazzi alike were stationed all around the courthouse but their security team, along with the security of the courthouse, did their best to help Gabriella, her parents, Troy, and Tessa out of the courthouse with as little disturbance as possible. They had dropped off Tessa first before going to the Montez's home but were all dismayed to see the flashes of lights from photographers and camera crews waiting for them there as well.

Gabriella blinked her eyes a few times as she saw a flash go off while she spaced out, relieved that the photographer in this instance was really Taylor, who had just snapped a picture of Kelsi and Jason cuddled together on one half of the long couch with Ryan and Martha sitting and talking on the other. The entire gang had come over to Gabriella's home a few hours ago and were still hanging out, content to just talk to each other. Taylor and Chad were seated together on a smaller couch while Sharpay, Tessa, and Zeke were seated on another couch, leaving Gabriella sitting on Troy's lap while he sat on an accent chair with an ottoman pulled up.

Tessa turned her attention to her best friend and noted that she still didn't look as happy and care free as Tessa assumed she would be now that the trial was over. 'Then again, what do you expect Tessa? The trial may be over but Gaby still has a lot on her mind, including those memories from May that will never be forgotten for the rest of her life I'm sure.'

"Brie, you all right?" asked Troy, finally asking the question he had wanted to ask all afternoon after seeing her forced smile that hadn't ever quite reached her eyes the entire time.

Gabriella turned her attention from Kelsi and Jason and looked back at her boyfriend, still enthralled as ever when she looked into his crystal blue eyes that were currently filled with worry. She nodded her head before placing her head down onto his shoulder, shifting into the crook of his neck. "I'm fine, really."

Troy shook his head. "I don't believe that for a minute. What's up? Something is clearly on your mind."

'Somehow, I'm not all that surprised he knows me better than anyone in this room, even Tessa at times,' thought Gabriella before she straightened again and looked directly looked at him. "The truth? I'm happy that Riley Sutton is now behind bars for several years unless he actually succeeds in appealing but I can't shake this uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I've had it since yesterday morning and thought it was about the trial ending but it still hasn't gone away. What if something is still meant to happen?"

"How can it? Riley's in jail and no group that is stupid enough to believe in his supposed innocence can bail him out this time," responded Troy, brushing back some of Gabriella's dark brown hair behind her left ear.

Gabriella helplessly shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe the threatened feeling isn't coming from him then. I don't know Troy."

Troy gently turned Gabriella's face so she was looking back at him after having looked away a moment ago. "Listen to me Brie, nothing is going to happen to you, I promise. I'm here, as I always will be, for you and that means loving you and protecting you. I think it's just your leftover anxiety taking over from the trial but if there really is a threat somewhere lurking around, I'll protect you, I promise. I love you Gabriella."

"I love you too Troy," returned Gabriella, leaning in and kissing him, breaking away as she saw a flash of light and this time seeing the camera in Taylor's hands aimed at them. "Tay!"

"What? It was too cute to miss," replied Taylor, getting a high five from Tessa who was a short distance away.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "I swear if I ever see home candid pictures on the internet, I'm going to hold you responsible and I'll know where that new Prada piece comes from."

"Taylor sell those photos to the wrong hands? That's something I'd like to see," threw in Sharpay. "She's too smart for that."

"Thank you Shar, I'm glad someone believes in me," stated Taylor, sticking her tongue out at Gabriella.

"Hey, I believe you wouldn't either, otherwise we wouldn't be best friends and you wouldn't be within those nice fences we have up around here," replied Gabriella, actually feeling herself letting her body truly relax. "Just ease up with the pictures please?"

Taylor reluctantly nodded her head. "Deal," agreed Taylor. "Tessa, put that camera away too."

"Hey!" protested Tessa, hating Taylor for exposing the fact there was another camera in the room.

Zeke chuckled and took the digital camera from his girlfriend's hand before he put it on the side table. "Come on, memories are so much more worth it when your friends aren't annoyed with you."

Tessa turned and grinned back at him. "True. When did you get so wise?"

"Don't let him fool you Tessa! Zeke has just learned from his mistakes is all," called out Chad. "Anyway, can we do something fun now? Like play a game of hoops or something?"

"Aww, Chad getting bored?" teased Martha.

"Must not be getting enough attention from Taylor," kidded Kelsi, causing laughter from all around the room.

"We could play basketball, I'd be down with that," replied Zeke, seeing a nod come from Jason.

"And us girls would then do what?" demanded Sharpay, not being a fan of just watching the guys play basketball.

"How about one of those childhood games none of us have ever played in a while?" offered Ryan. "Nothing like Duck, Duck, Goose but Hide and Seek or Sardines?"

"I like your thinking brother," commented Sharpay. "I say Truth or Dare!"

Troy groaned. "No, I know you too well Sharpay and know that's going to be trouble with a capital T."

"How about a compromise then?" offered Martha. "We could play Sardines and the loser has to do a round of Truth or Dare. The gang can collectively decide what it will be after the loser chooses between the two."

Jason nodded his agreement. "That sounds like fun but do we all have to eat sardines? I don't really like them."

Kelsi rolled her eyes and patted her boyfriend's knee gently. "No Jason, we aren't eating sardines. Sardines is a game where we elect one person to go and hide. Then after giving them, say five minutes, we all split up and search for him or her. If you find them, you hide in the spot with them until everyone is together except for the last person. Then I guess with Martha's compromise, the loser has to do a truth or a dare."

"Oh," said Jason. "That sounds much better."

"So who's going to be the first to hide?" asked Tessa, getting interested in the game even though it was a game she hadn't played since she was four.

"Me!" exclaimed Sharpay, immediately getting up and rushing out of the room excitedly.

"Typical Sharpay behavior. It's always about that girl," muttered Chad causing Taylor to laugh as she was the only one to hear it. "You know it's true!"

"Well yeah but that's just who she is, right?" returned Taylor.

The remaining group of friends turned their attention though on Paul as he came into the room, a serious look on his face as his gaze settled on Gabriella. "Whatever you do Gabriella, don't go near any windows okay?"

Gabriella returned his look with a confused expression. "What's going on Paul?"

Paul just shook his head. "Nothing to worry about but just, stay well within these walls for right now, promise?"

Gabriella searched his face for a clue as to what was going on but eventually giving up, nodding her head. "I promise but why?"

"Let's just say we have aggressive paparazzi today. Curtis and I have already caught two trying to make their way over the fence. They aren't a real threat but we don't want you to have any more exposure than is necessary, especially in your own home," explained Paul before he turned on his heel and left the room, having heard Curtis report another one.

Gabriella could feel the stares from her friends as they all shot her concerned looks. "It's fine, really. We better go find Sharpay, right?"

Ryan checked his watch and saw that it was past five minutes now. "She's right. If we don't go hunting now, we'll hear a scream in frustration that Sharpay's not getting attention guys."

The rest of the group silently agreed to let the paparazzi topic drop as they all started searching the mansion for their blonde friend. Troy and Gabriella stayed together though, walking through the house as they half-heartedly roamed, looking only in plain view.

"I guess this was to be expected right? The paparazzi increasing and the reporters outside the gates after the trial's conclusion," stated Gabriella, finally breaking the silence between the two.

Troy tugged on her left hand that was currently in his right, halting their walk. "Brie, yes the world is curious, but that doesn't give them the right to invade your privacy, to demand that they have the right to see what you are doing, how you are reacting to everything. Please, don't let them get the better of you, just as you haven't let Riley get the better of you. I have to say, you are one of the strongest people I know, to be able to go through all of this and still be standing."

"Umm, have you forgotten all about those months of crying, mindless sobs, and those nightmares?" reminded Gabriella.

He shook his head. "No, but that's what I'm talking about. Not everyone who has gone through even a portion of what you have been through comes out of it less than a year later as in control as you are now. Yes, you aren't 100 percent better, but you are fighting to get there, and you have gained control back. That's huge Brie, it really is."

Gabriella stared into his eyes for a moment before raising herself up on her toes as she leaned up and kissed Troy, savoring the feeling as he returned the kiss, slowly snaking his arms around her waist to bring her closer as they both continued their embrace.

"Gabriella!" yelled out Paul as he ran right past her and out the French doors the couple had unknowingly stopped in front of.

Troy and Gabriella broke apart just in time to see Curtis tackling one photographer while another ran off and out of view with Paul chasing him. "Oh God," muttered Gabriella. "That's bad, really bad."

"Hey, it'll be okay. What's the worst that could happen? They report that your boyfriend kissed you? It's not like we were going at it or anything," replied Troy.

Gabriella nervously bit her lip as she thought about the implications of whatever pictures were taken.

Chad jogged down the hall and spotted the couple not even searching for the others. "Umm, do either of you really want to answer a dare or a truth created by the entire rest of the gang? I can promise you it won't be good," said Chad as he drew to a stop next to them. "Come on, let's go look for that drama queen before we have to face the consequences. You know how evil Sharpay's mind can get in terms of a truth or dare."

Troy groaned as he realized that they were still playing the stupid game. "Yeah, I know. What do you say Brie? Want to come look with me?"

"No way, I can already see where playing together has gotten you two. Troy, you're coming with me. We're in the Montez mansion, she'll be fine on her own," persuaded Chad, grabbing Troy's arm and starting him moving down the hall, only allowing Troy one last look at Gabriella before they rounded a corner.

Gabriella just shook her head as she forced her mind to start working on looking for Sharpay and the others who had probably already found her. She went up the main stairs and started searching the second floor, starting with her room, paying careful attention for hearing anything coming from her bathroom and then her walk in closet, somewhat surprised Sharpay hadn't used this opportunity to spend quality time going through Gabriella's new clothes again. When Gabriella was half way down searching the second floor, she felt herself involuntarily jump as a firm hand grasped her right shoulder. She spun around and was relieved to see her father right behind her.

"Gabriella, your mother and I need to talk to you," said Stephen, knowing he needed to say what he had on his mind to his daughter soon. "I know your friends are somewhere around but this is important."

She could tell by her father's body language that whatever it was, she wasn't going to like it but Gabriella silently followed her father down the stairs and into his private study where her mother was already waiting for her, a serious look on her face as well.

Once Gabriella was seated, the silence continued until she had enough. "All right, what's going on? Mom? Dad?"

"Sweetie, your grandparents would like us, and especially you, to return to Copanvy no later than next weekend," stated Annette, knowing it was best if this news came from her. "They are worried for your safety and want to be able to protect you better than our security team here can in another country."

"What? They can't be serious," returned Gabriella, wondering if that sick feeling in her gut had anything to do with this. "But I'm not even through the first semester as a senior! You promised we wouldn't be moving!"

Stephen glanced at his wife and saw that she would be folding soon after a few more rounds with Gabriella so he decided to step in. "Gabriella, it isn't just your grandparents who are worried, we are too."

"Worried about what? I can handle the gossips and the pictures, honest," replied Gabriella, knowing that although that wasn't a true statement now, she would force it to be true in the coming weeks if it meant her being able to stay in Albuquerque if only for a few more months.

Both parents could tell their daughter was lying and was struggling to keep up the front she currently had. "Look Gabriella, we only want to do what's best for you," started Annette.

"Then let me stay, please," begged Gabriella, hating the tears that were gathered in her eyes now. "Please, let me stay until graduation from East High, let me have as normal of a life as I can here with my friends, with Troy. Please."

Annette, unable to see her daughter in so much distress caused by them, looked at Stephen, letting him know she wouldn't be able to be his ally any longer in trying to get Gabriella to see reason in them returning to Copanvy so soon. "Gabriella, Curtis and Paul and the rest of the team have caught at least a dozen paparazzi on our property or trying to scale the fences today. From that alone, I can deduce that there is a high price on pictures of you right now, higher than before the end of the trial," stated Stephen, knowing only the truth could possibly get Gabriella to see reason. "Today you are just staying in this house. What is it going to be like when you go back to school on Monday? Are you going to be able to handle not only the gossip there but the constant presence of photographers there? Of even maybe reporters as well?"

Gabriella drew in a deep breath, forcing herself to be honest when she mulled over her father's questions. 'Are you really prepared for all that? Can you handle the constant watching, always having to be on your guard, at school or at home or somewhere in between? I can if that's the only way to stay here!'

When Gabriella's brown eyes met Stephen's, he knew then that Gabriella was going to fight through it all to try to stay here in Albuquerque for as long as she could manage. "All right, if this will make you happy, we'll stay until you graduate East High but there is one condition here Gabriella."

Gabriella's immediate moment of happiness vaporized as she waited for her father to explain the "condition" that would allow them to stay for a few moments longer. "What is it?"

"We'll stay here until your graduation, giving you the most normal life as possible. However, if there is a single security breach, a threat on your life, or anything else that we deem to be a real danger, we're leaving, got it?" replied Stephen, looking directly at his daughter to make sure she really did understand. "I want you to be happy just as your mother wants you to be happy, but your life is too valuable to take lightly as well. Do I have your word that you'll honor this agreement should something happen between now and graduation?"

Nibbling on her bottom lip again, Gabriella mulled over the proposition her father was offering her. If she didn't agree, Gabriella knew that she could very well be on a plane the next morning but if she agreed, Gabriella knew that was still a possibility as her future was unknown. "All right, I agree," said Gabriella, hesitancy clearly in her voice.

Annette let out a sigh of relief that there was at least an actual compromise that everyone agreed on, even if it was against both father and daughter's desires in one way or another. 'At least they were able to work something out.'

After a few more moments of silence, Gabriella looked back at her parents. "Can I go now?"

"Sure," said Annette as she got up and gave Gabriella a loving hug, which she was grateful that Gabriella returned before leaving Stephen's study. "She's not happy but at least she seems to understand."

"I'm just hoping that something else doesn't happen that will force me to move our family out and away," commented Stephen, wrapping an arm around his wife's waist. "Tearing Gabriella away from this life here would be the hardest thing ever to do as I know I would be the villain in driving that initiative but we'll have no more choice if just one more thing happens. It's bad enough there are scandalous rumors running around back in Copanvy already. Mother and Father will not be pleased if there are any more on its way. I guess I better go and call them to tell them about this decision."

Annette sympathetically looked at her husband of so many years. "Be strong Stephen. Remember, we are doing this for the love of our daughter who deserves at least this much happiness and freedom that we can afford her."

Stephen nodded his head before walking to his desk and picking up the phone, letting out a deep breath before he started dialing the numbers to talk to his parents.

- - -

Jason was the last to join Kelsi, Sharpay, Ryan, Zeke, Troy, Chad, Taylor, Tessa, and Martha in Sharpay's original hiding spot, the walk in closet of the last guest room on the second floor. They each looked at each other and realized that Gabriella was the only one missing now.

"Guess your girlfriend is going to have to face the music," sang Sharpay as she looked at Troy. "And man do I have a delicious Truth for her."

Troy groaned. "Why do I feel like I'm going to be embarrassed in the process?"

"Because you're smart," replied Sharpay as she led the gang out of the closet, out of the room, and then down the hall in search for their missing friend. "Gaby!"

"Brie, where are you?" called out Troy, secretly wondering if Gabriella had even really played, knowing how distracted she was before when they had been "searching" together.

"Gabriella!" yelled out the rest of the group as they ducked into rooms looking for her, each wondering if they were now playing the game in reverse as they searched the second floor for her before they returned to the first floor where they eventually found Gabriella deep in thought in the accent chair she and Troy had been sitting in an hour or so ago.

"Brie?" asked Troy, concerned with the expressionless face she was currently wearing. "Gabriella?"

She blinked her eyes slowly as she refocused on the ten curious faces now looking back at her. "Guess I lost huh?"

Tessa rolled her eyes. "Girlfriend, were you even trying?"

Gabriella was only able to nod her head before she gave up trying to lie. "Sorry, guess I got caught up in something. So, what's this dare I'm going to have to do?" questioned Gabriella, not wanting to give the gang an avenue to ask her what was going on in her life now.

"Dare? Are you sure you want a dare? What about a truth?" asked Tessa, nervous for her best friend as she knew the dares Sharpay could come up with and also wanting to know what was going on.

Taylor nodded her head. "A truth would be much easier Gaby, really."

Gabriella though shook her head. "I lost and I choose dare."

The two best friends sighed and turned their attention to the rest of the group who were already talking about a good dare for their friend. Troy however slipped away and sat down on the ottoman in front of his girlfriend, deep concern evident in his blue eyes. "Want to talk about it?"

Gabriella shook her head. "No, can you just hold me?"

Without another word, Troy gently pulled Gabriella forward and into his arms, running his left hand through her long hair as he tried to give her whatever comfort he could in that single embrace.

Eventually, their moment in their own world was interrupted when the gang came to a final conclusion to a dare that was good but wouldn't push past the boundaries which they would have gone past had it been Jason or Chad getting the dare.

"So, we've decided Gabriella that for your dare, you will have allow us to dress you in a toilet paper dress with a sash, wear your real princess crown, and pretend you are walking down a catwalk while singing the 'Star Spangled Banner' or you will have to do a triple truth," explained Sharpay, smirking as she saw an embarrassed look flutter across Gabriella's face just thinking about it.

"Can I wear clothes under the toilet paper dress?" questioned Gabriella, preferring any dare to giving her friends free reign with three truth questions at the moment. 'It's not like I'm lying to them, I just don't want to talk about it right now.'

The girls exchanged a look, ignoring the guys who were saying no at the moment, for which Troy was glaring at them, and made a decision. "Bikini underneath only," announced Tessa, slapping Zeke on the arm as she heard his groan.

"Done," decided Gabriella, immediately seeing the shocked looks on their faces. "Let me go get changed and I'll be back down with the toilet paper."

"Really?" asked Kelsi, finding the dare ridiculous herself.

"Yeah, you came up with it and I said I'd do it," said Gabriella, untangling herself from Troy and getting up from the chair, kissing him on the cheek before she went upstairs to change.

"Girl has guts, I have to give her that," commented Tessa as Gabriella disappeared from view.

"Either that or she's trying to hide something again," threw in Taylor, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Or maybe, she's just glad we aren't making her eat a cube of butter like I had to," added Chad, causing a round of laughs to echo through the room at the memory again.

After a few more minutes, Gabriella returned in a robe with an arm full of toilet paper. Kelsi and Martha took the rolls from her as Tessa and Sharpay got down to planning what the toilet paper dress should look like. Gabriella eyed them nervously, seeing the scheming looks both had until Taylor caught her attention and started to distract her with something stupid Chad did the other day. When Sharpay and Tessa finally came to a conclusion, they turned Gabriella around so her back was to the guys in the room so she wouldn't have to see them watching as the robe slowly came off and the girls got to work wrapping Gabriella up.

Twenty minutes later, Gabriella was strutting her stuff like she was on a catwalk, careful not to rip the toilet paper dress and balancing her tiara on her head, all while trying to calm the blush that had been on her cheeks since she disrobed. Her eyes connected with Troy's, who gave her a wink that caused her to momentarily stumble over the words she was singing, starting a round of demands for her to restart. She obliged and refused to look at Troy again until she was done, finding that in doing this dare, Gabriella had gotten herself into a much better mood and was able to relax again, having successfully distracted herself and her friends.

"There, I'm done. Now can I go change?" asked Gabriella, striking one last pose before pulling her robe back on.

"Yes," answered Troy, not allowing anyone else to say otherwise. He grinned as she threw him a thankful look and scurried up the stairs, pieces of toilet paper falling to the ground as she ripped the paper that was tightly wound around her body.

"Bolton you aren't any fun!" complained Zeke.

Troy rolled his eyes. "Fine, we'll have Tessa dress up in a bikini and let everyone check her out for a good hour. That fun?"

"Ugh, point taken," said Zeke, quickly pulling Tessa to him and kissing her on the lips. "No one gets to stare at my baby but me."

Ryan chuckled. "Oh, the possessiveness of us guys at its low points."

After Gabriella returned, the gang continued to hang out together until dinnertime approached, which was when most of them had promised to return home to their respective families. Gabriella said her farewells to everyone inside under the advisement of Paul, giving everyone hugs and thanks for staying indoors with her again.

When it was only him and Gabriella, Troy turned his attention back on Gabriella, seeing her relaxed mood slip away into a worried one. "Want to talk about it?"

Gabriella shook her head. "It's nothing to worry about Troy. I just had a talk with my parents during the Sardines game and dodged a big one. They wanted me to go back to Copanvy, well they being my grandparents."

Troy heard his breathing stop while his heart beat picked up pace. "Are you going to be going then?"

"No," returned Gabriella. "They agreed to let me stay until graduation as long as nothing else happens."

Troy let go of his breath and calmed his nerves. "Thank God. I guess we'll just have to make sure that no more nonsense happens, right?"

Gabriella gave him a half smile back, grateful that she had him to confide in during times like this. "Right," agreed Gabriella, snuggling into Troy's embrace as they stood together in the entryway of the mansion, just holding each other, both grateful they still had time to spend together despite the closer call only hours ago.

'Please, don't take her away from me just yet,' Troy silently begged the powers that be in his head. 'I'm not ready. I know it's selfish and I know she will have to leave eventually but please, give me some more time.'

Similar thoughts were going through Gabriella's head as she felt Troy place a soft kiss on her forehead, causing her to genuinely smile out of the sweetness of his gesture.

A comparable smile was now on Annette's face as she stood at the top of the main staircase and gazed down at the teenaged couple who seemed oblivious to anything or anyone outside of the two of them. Her gaze only left them when she felt Stephen's presence behind her, one step above.

"They're at it again huh? Being in their own private world?" asked Stephen, looking at his daughter with her boyfriend before looking back at his wife.

"Shh, let's let them have their moments where they can steal them Stephen. Heaven only knows how much longer they have," replied Annette, taking Stephen's hand in hers and walking him back up the stairs and out of view of the couple downstairs, leaving Troy and Gabriella to enjoy the bliss they both had found in each other's arms at that very moment.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The following Monday morning, Alicia was hanging out with two of her friends who had just started talking to her again in the main hall of East High when she spotted the indestructible couple of Troy and Gabriella walk down the hall together, their hands clasped tightly around the other's as they smiled and waved at random people. Her gaze followed them as they passed her, not even acknowledging that she was standing right here.

"They make me so mad and sick!" burst out Alicia, unable to contain her anger at seeing them together again, as they had been despite the stunt she pulled over two weeks ago with the phone camera. "She should be livid and beyond hurt that he kissed the cheerleader!"

"Alicia, maybe it's time to give up," suggested Mandy. "It's clear that they really do care about each other."

"How can you say that Mandy? He was mine first!" exclaimed Alicia. "Then she came along and stole him from me! And then she stole Riley's attention from me! She's like this leech I can't get rid of that's sucking my life away!"

"That may be true, that you were Troy's girlfriend before her but Alicia, I worry about you when you obsess over this like this, especially about Riley. He really did rape Gabriella, at least that's how the judge ruled. Do you really want a guy like that?" asked Stacey, careful not to upset Alicia more than was necessary.

"Riley wouldn't have done that, I know it," returned Alicia. "He and I have a bond, don't you see? I did what I did with the picture text for him, to try to help him weaken Gabriella enough while she was testifying to try to crack her into telling the truth, that Riley didn't do it."

"But Alicia, why would Gabriella make it up?" asked Stacey, shooting Mandy a worried look.

"Because! That's what she does! She loves attention and will do anything to get it. She couldn't just leave stealing Troy from me, she had to play havoc with my crush on Riley too. Don't you see? My life is hell now because of Gabriella Montez. I wish she'd just die!" exclaimed Alicia, her voice now loud enough to start attracting attention from nearby students.

"Calm down Alicia, please," begged Mandy, afraid of the hysterics her friend was launching into. "This isn't helping your situation."

"I don't care, I hate her! I hate the stupid bitch!" yelled Alicia, jerking away from Mandy and Stacey who were both trying to calm her down and running down the hall into the girls' bathroom, locking herself away in a stall as she finally let out all the frustration she felt at her situation through her tears until a new idea began to form in her head. 'Riley may be a lost cause in jail but I can still do something about Troy being with Gabriella. What if I take her out of the picture?' A smile finally began to form on Alicia's face again as her tears dried and a new plan began to be put together that would ensure Gabriella's absence in Alicia's future.

- - -

"So why did you drive into school by yourself against me wanting to take you this morning?" asked Troy as he got his books out from his locker after Gabriella had done the same moments before.

"Because you have pre-season basketball practice," returned Gabriella. "Did you forget that already?"

Troy shook his head as he zipped up his backup. "No, but you could have stayed to watch us practice you know."

"And risk getting yelled at by your dad for being at a closed practice? I don't think so, I like being on good terms with him," replied Gabriella, kissing Troy's cheek.

"Kiss up," murmured Troy with a smile on his face before he captured her lips with his for a brief moment before he closed the locker door. "Come on, homeroom and Darbus awaits."

The couple slowed as they passed by Gabriella's old locker and saw even more words etched into the door, both silently wondering if they were new or if they were now being allowed to accumulate as most of the door was now covered in different names. They ripped their attention away from the locker door though as two masked people ran through the halls screaming "Her Royal Slut!" through the halls and past them, throwing paper up in the air as they continued down the halls.

Without a word, Curtis took off down after them while Paul stayed with the couple and caught a piece of paper to look it over, glancing over at Gabriella immediately as she read a paper she had caught with Troy looking over her shoulder.

_H.R.S., Gabriella Montez, among all her adoring fans.  
_  
Below that line was a photo shopped picture of Gabriella's head on a bikini clad body in front of a line of barely dressed guys that had the faces of West High and East High guys alike also pasted on the bodies, Riley and Troy both being the faces on either side of her, each with a hand on her waist.

Gabriella slowly shook her head before she crumpled the paper and tossed it into the recycling bin nearby. "Will this ever end?" asked Gabriella in a quiet voice, keeping a wavering control over her emotions.

Troy pulled his girlfriend's body closer to hers as he kissed the top of her head. "I hope so," murmured Troy, paying more attention to Paul after seeing that Paul seemed to be conversing into his ear piece. "What is it man?"

Paul looked over at Troy and then Gabriella. "Curtis caught them and they are now going to Principal Matsui's office. Two guys, Curtis isn't sure who they are though."

"At least they're caught," commented Troy.

"But what did I ever do to them?" asked Gabriella, some sadness creeping into her voice as she stared at some of the papers lying on the floor of the hall and then again at the locker that used to be hers. She noticed that the writing on the locker door wasn't the same, not just in differing words but also different writing styles. "Am I that hated throughout this school?"

"I don't think you're hated," replied Paul, giving Gabriella an encouraging smile. "Just the target for many immature teenagers who are jealous of you. Don't worry your head about this Gabriella and I'll be sure to leave this out of mine and Curtis' report to your dad, I promise, even though I guess that's a form of treason but for you, I'll risk my head being chopped off or being exiled."

Gabriella smiled at Paul who she really now considered to be more of a friend than a bodyguard. "Thank you."

The three of them walked down the hall and reached their destination, Gabriella seeing Taylor and Sharpay stuffing more of the same flyers in a recycling bin as soon as they had spotted Gabriella coming. "Thank you Tay, Shar, for doing that."

Taylor gave Gabriella a sympathetic smile. "The least we could do. Maybe I should be calling whoever Curtis here caught the lunkheads and not the basketball team now."

"I second that," agreed Sharpay as they all walked into the classroom just as the bell rang and class was called to order by Ms. Darbus.

- - -

Gabriella's lungs were burning and they were burning because of a certain black haired girl and her tricks. She pushed aside the anger she felt at Alicia as she went back to focusing on finishing the last two laps of the five she was sentenced to as a punishment for supposedly pushing Alicia into the ground after Alicia had verbally attacked Gabriella again. Paul and Curtis had tried protesting it but Gabriella had them back off, not wanting to prolong the attention Alicia was getting for milking an incident that didn't really happen.

"Come on Montez, faster!" called out a faint voice that mocked her.

Gabriella looked over and glared at the other girl who was now smirking back at her. "Get lost Alicia," got out Gabriella, turning her attention back on the track. The teacher had already gone inside, knowing Gabriella would do her punishment without any supervision being needed.

To Gabriella's surprise, when she looked back up, Alicia was nowhere to be found. "Wow, she actually listened to me for once."

Gabriella slowed her pace down as she finished the last lap, walking a few yards with her hands clutching the back of her head to try to get her vitals back down before walking towards the school's building, which was now emptying of East High students leaving for the day. Curtis and Paul followed her up until the locker room door and she waved them off as she entered, going to her locker and opening the door. She was relieved the girls' locker room had cleared out already, looking up at the clock and realizing her punishment laps took her twenty minutes past when all the other girls returned to the locker room.

Once she had her shirt off, Gabriella sat down and grabbed a towel from her locker, grateful that it was a clean towel from laundry over the weekend as she used it to wipe her face and her neck as her heart continued to slow down its beats, only to increase as she thought she heard the unmistakable sound of a metal lock falling into place echo through what she thought was an empty locker room. It also sounded faintly like the turn of a lock from several months ago, when Riley advanced on her in her old home.

"Stop it Gabriella, you're just imagining things. Riley is behind bars, he can't hurt you," murmured Gabriella out loud, turning her attention back to putting her discarded shirt and used towel into her bag to take home. She had just pulled the light blue sweater on that she had been wearing during school over a white camisole when Gabriella heard an all too familiar high voice.

"Riley may be behind bars but I certainly can and will hurt you," said Alicia, standing now only a few feet away from Gabriella, a slightly sick and crazed look on her face. There was a flash of light off steel in the next second and Gabriella realized for the first time that Alicia was also armed with a knife with a sharp blade.

Without giving it another thought, Gabriella's hand dived into her locker and had just managed to find her watch to push the panic button before Alicia shoved her, causing Gabriella to hit her head hard on the lockers before she felt her body hit the ground. Gabriella blinked several times trying to regain focus as she slowly tried to back up and away from Alicia who was now slowly advancing, following Gabriella's slow progress away from the other girl. Distantly, she could hear banging on the locker room door, some relief comforting her that it seemed that Paul and Curtis had heard her panic call loud and clear. That relief though was short lived as Gabriella felt her head hit a wall and looked up to see she was now trapped between Alicia and the wall.

Instead of immediately advancing and going for the kill like Gabriella thought she would, Alicia took her time, in some ways torturing Gabriella as the maniacal grin on her face grew bigger as each second went by. "So sad Gabriella that you won't live to see your eighteenth birthday or to see when I'm crowned Prom Queen with Troy as my Prom King. I considered letting you live to see that day but I can't chance you ruining my life anymore Gabriella. You must understand that," said Alicia, breaking the tense silence between the two girls as Gabriella slowly tried standing herself up, using the wall for support as she slid up.

"I never meant to ruin your life Alicia," replied Gabriella, keeping a close eye on the knife still firmly under Alicia's control.

Alicia let out a crazed laugh. "Of course you did your royal slutness! First you stole my Wildcat boyfriend, then you went after my Knight crush, and then you had the audacity to come to East and steal my popularity, my friends! You went after my life with all the life you had in you, it's only appropriate I take your life away now. See, I tried doing little things, to get you to back off Troy, to get you to exit the picture on your own free will but you just wouldn't go away! I paid Stephanie fifty dollars to get her to surprise kiss Troy, as much as I hated even having her lips touch his for my purposes, and sent you that picture text to get you to back off. You should have wanted to leave him Gabriella, to leave his cheating heart yet you stuck around, you saw the better in him. You didn't even have the audacity to be so distracted at the trial that Riley's lawyer could expose you for a liar, you still had control up on that stand from what I have heard. That control ends now though."

"Alicia, it doesn't have to be this way! I know you're hurt and you think I stole Troy, I don't blame you as I did kiss your boyfriend when you two were still together and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, I should have thought of you in this whole thing but I didn't," returned Gabriella, finding she meant her words. "I really am sorry I was so heartless Alicia."

The other girl stopped her advancement as she eyed Gabriella, wondering the truth in her words. "So you'll dump Troy? You'll leave and have this fairy tale life as a princess far, far away?"

The banging got louder just then while male voices could be heard calling out to Gabriella, louder now:

"Gabriella!"

"Are you okay?"

"Who is in there with you?"

"Brie, please be okay. Answer me!"

Gabriella's heart soared as she heard Troy's voice call out to her, knowing Alicia had recognized it immediately as the crazed look entered her eyes again. "Of course you wouldn't be stupid enough to dump Troy Bolton. I guess I'll just have to make it easy for all of us and take you out of the picture," stated Alicia. "Don't worry Troy, you won't have to worry about Gabriella for much longer!"

The pounding on the door got louder at this after a momentary silence before it got louder, like something was being rammed up against the door. Alicia let out a dry laugh. "Who would have known that the locker room would have such a nice, sturdy deadbolt? Speaking of dead," started Alicia as she eyed Gabriella again, giving Gabriella little time to think as she dodged Alicia's lunge at her, feeling the sickening feel of something sharp slicing into her right side as she fell onto the ground again in pain before starting to see black spots in her vision.

Before Gabriella knew what was happening, Alicia had hauled her up, surprising Gabriella as Alicia's build was the same as hers if not smaller. A flash of pain traveled through Gabriella's body as Alicia wrapped her left arm around Gabriella's waist, pinning her left arm to her side while Gabriella's right arm was held up against her wound, which was now oozing more blood with Alicia's left hand on top of Gabriella's right wrist. Before she knew it, Gabriella felt the warm sticky tipped knife pointed into her neck as she gulped, trying her hardest to fight to stay conscious as the banging on the door continued.

"See, the way I see it Gabriella, I'm not the only one that benefits from your death. Do you know how many girls and guys at East and West combined will thank me? I wasn't alone in writing on your locker. Sure, I was the first brave one but those black rose petals, those came from someone else. And those flyers today? Not my doing, although I wish I had thought of that too. So you see, the world would be much better off with you gone," hissed Alicia, taking delight in seeing Gabriella seeming to break down as she felt the other girl's body tremble in her hold and yet saw no tears.

'Maybe Alicia is right, maybe everyone would be better off without me. If I had never been here, Alicia would still be with Troy so she'd be happy and maybe so would he. Troy wouldn't have those scars and wouldn't have been in all those fights with Riley. Paul wouldn't carry around his scars. My parents wouldn't have to be so worried about me, if I was okay if I wasn't around,' thought Gabriella, starting to see Alicia's train of thought.

The blackness started pulling at Gabriella again as she continued to lose blood from her wounded side. She fought hard though, trying to stay conscious, in the meantime seeing flashes of memories from the past year, starting with when she met Troy on New Year's Eve at the ski lodge. From there she saw her first day at West, meeting Tessa and then meeting Riley. She saw moments filled with such sorrow but also saw those times that were filled with unbelievable amounts of happiness spent with her friends. Gabriella saw Chad and Taylor kissing each other when they thought no one was looking, Tessa blushing after Zeke had presented her with a corsage, and Sharpay and Kelsi really acting like friends, as equals. The last faces she saw were those of her mother and father both smiling at her and lastly Troy, just before he kissed her after saying those three special words she had longed to hear, "I love you".

'No, you are not going down without a fight Gabriella, not this time,' screamed Gabriella to herself in her mind as she gained consciousness again after a momentary slip, causing her body to have gotten heavier, throwing Alicia off balance a little before she regained control. "You're wrong," whispered Gabriella, closing her eyes as she put all her energy into trying to find a way out of this.

"I'm wrong?" questioned Alicia. "About what?"

"People will miss me, people have changed for the better since I've known them. I haven't destroyed everyone's life but I'm not claiming all the credit for them changing either," said Gabriella. "My friends are friends because they were able to see past the social clique walls and embrace each other's differences. My love with Troy has been tested by the same things. Social walls, rivalry schools, scheming people, all of it and yet we are all stronger for it. I'm not going to let you take it all away Alicia!"

Alicia tightened her hold on Gabriella, who didn't have the strength to break free at that moment as Alicia brought the knife's point deeper into Gabriella's neck, just barely drawing blood. "Oh really? I don't think you have the choice here Gabriella. I'm the one with the weapon this time and no one is here to save you. What are you going to do now?"

Gabriella suddenly remembered the self-defense moves Paul had taught her over the summer when he was trying to get her more comfortable. 'He always told me those three moves would help me against any attacker but I think he meant guys. Would it work on her?'

Alicia sensed something going on with Gabriella and pressed the knife tighter against Gabriella's neck. "Any last words bitch?" asked Alicia, getting ready to slit Gabriella's neck

Within a heartbeat, Gabriella slammed her foot on Alicia's right foot, throwing her right arm out to break Alicia's grasp on her wrist but also knocking Alicia's arm with the knife away from Gabriella, wincing in the process as Gabriella felt the blade graze her skin again. Before she lost her nerve, Gabriella swung her head backwards and winced at the pain but heard, along with felt, a sickening sound as the back of her skull slammed into Alicia's forehead and nose, causing the other girl to scream. They both fell to the ground, wrestling for control of the knife, which Gabriella managed to fling aside during the struggle while Alicia now had her pinned to the ground.

Gabriella felt her head being slammed into the ground one last time before she used the last of her energy to push Alicia off of her, hearing distantly a loud thump as Alicia's body hit the wall while Gabriella used the bench nearby to prop herself up against it, drawing in labored breaths as Gabriella fought to stay conscious if only to keep Alicia in her sights. Alicia just laid there against the wall though, showing she was alive by the clutching of her head in her hands accompanied by small sobs.

The door finally burst open and Gabriella heard male voices draw closer before she felt two familiar arms embrace her as she cried out in pain from Troy's hand clutching her wounded side.

Troy drew back immediately and saw the blood on his hand, along with the blood that stained her sweater, her pants, and was gathering in a pool below Gabriella. "Chad, call 911!" screamed Troy before turning his attention back to Gabriella, who finally allowed herself to cry. He kissed her forehead before he ripped his shirt off and gathered it together to hold against her side, trying to apply pressure to her wound while not hurting her further. "It's going to be okay Brie, you're going to be okay. I love you."

Gabriella faintly smiled at this, looking back into his blue eyes, before losing her grasp on consciousness finally, after all her fighting, and gave into the soothing darkness.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

'God, why is my body in so much pain?' wondered Gabriella as she slowly opened her heavy eyelids, blinking several times as she tried to figure out where she was. Gabriella tried to sit upright but immediately laid back down as she winced in more pain, feeling a soft, familiar hand brush some of Gabriella's dark brown hair back off her face.

"Shh, sweetie, lay back down and relax," said Annette in the most soothing voice she could. "You're home now, you're safe."

Gabriella allowed her mother's voice to wash over her, relaxing her body despite the pain she was still in. It was then that Gabriella, now holding Troy's Valentine teddy bear tightly in her left arm, remembered what happened the day before. After she had passed out in Troy's arms, she woke up at the hospital, seeing his worried blue eyes staring at her as she gained consciousness for the first time in hours while they performed tests on her to look for any possible brain damage while she also was cleaned and stitched up. Gabriella also remembered seeing a bag of O negative blood hanging from a steel pole with Troy's name on the sticker, recalling some corny remark he made about her now always for sure having him with her wherever she went before she fell asleep again.

Now Gabriella looked around her room and saw that she still had some medical equipment that was monitoring her vitals attached to her body but nothing life supporting. She remembered coming home early that morning to avoid the paparazzi and being carried into her room by her father, who had gently laid her onto her bed, Troy never leaving her side until Annette and Stephen both insisted on him going to school after talking to his parents.

"Am I going to be all right?" asked Gabriella in a soft voice.

Annette's eyes filled with tears as she nodded her head. "Yes, sweetie, you will be. My, what a fighter you have become too. Paul and Curtis said you saved yourself yesterday and were very brave. Do you remember the fight?"

Gabriella nodded her head slightly. "Where's Alicia?"

"She's being held at the hospital right now as her own injuries are being examined," answered Annette. "You're only home because we're able to have a private medical staff for you here. Your CT scan yesterday showed no major injuries except for the bumps on your head. Do you know how lucky we all are that you didn't suffer some type of internal bleeding or a concussion from everything that happened yesterday?"

"I know, I'm very lucky," agreed Gabriella. "Can I have something to drink?"

"Oh, of course, I should have thought of that. I'll be back all right?" said Annette, getting up and kissing Gabriella's forehead before leaving the room.

When she returned, Emma and Stephen were both with Annette as all three adults smiled down at Gabriella, who took slow sips of water from the glass.

"How's my baby doing?" asked Stephen, taking Gabriella's left hand in his as he raised it up to kiss the back of her hand. "Doing all right?"

"Yeah, I just wish this pain would go away," said Gabriella, squeezing her father's hand lightly as she saw the concern in his eyes.

Annette disappeared for a moment but came back with two orange bottles. "I almost forgot, the doctor said to give you these when you woke up to help. God, I'm so scattered brained right now."

Gabriella took the pills from her mother and swallowed them with the remaining water while Stephen gave his wife a comforting smile from across Gabriella's bed. "Don't worry Annette, I think that's totally understandable considering the circumstances."

Emma watched the little family talk for a little while longer, inwardly relieved that Gabriella was awake and seemed to be in decent spirits after the events from the day before. For Emma's part, she had been worried about what had actually happened between Alicia and Gabriella and whether there was a setback now in Gabriella's progress. Seeing Gabriella smiling softly at her parents though as they continued to talk to her assured Emma that if there was a setback, it wasn't by much.

Fifteen minutes later, Paul and Curtis both came into the room, a serious expression on both of their faces that worried Annette and Stephen immediately. Without a word, both of them left the room after kissing Gabriella on the forehead, leaving Emma some time to talk to her young patient.

"What was that about?" asked Gabriella, looking at the now closed bedroom door.

"Who knows with those two bodyguards of yours," replied Emma. "What about you? How are you doing?"

"Good," answered Gabriella. "Well as good as can be expected. She really almost had me Emma, Alicia almost convinced me that her reality was the real reality yesterday."

"But?" prompted Emma, interested in filling in the blanks Emma had in her head. "What changed that?"

"Me," said Gabriella rather simply. "Alicia told me the world would be better without me, that everyone hated me and I almost bought into it until flashes of my life with my friends, with my family, with Troy came and reminded me that my reality was more the truth than hers. She was so desperate yesterday Emma, she looked so crazed, I actually thought that I would have died yesterday."

Emma became more intrigued by this admission. "So what happened?"

Gabriella stayed quiet for a few moments as she thought back to the turning point of her fight with Alicia in the locker room. "After seeing all those happy memories and all those people who are so important in my life, I decided that I couldn't let her take me without a fight. I told her she was wrong and used the last remnants of my energy and my consciousness in fighting her, using moves I learned from Paul this summer and fought her off, forcing her to lose control. After that, all I remember is being in Troy's arms again before passing out."

Emma shook her head but smiled at Gabriella. "You definitely have spirit and more strength that I think you have been hiding from me Gabriella. Yesterday was huge, for a lot of reasons. You showed Alicia you weren't going to be bullied by her, you proved to yourself that you could save yourself, and you finally believed in yourself, in your worth. Congratulations Gabriella, I couldn't have done it better myself."

"What? Really?" asked Gabriella. "Do I like graduate from all the therapy?"

Emma gave a little laugh. "Should I be insulted that you want to be rid of me so fast?"

Gabriella joined in the laughter for a moment before she forced herself to stop as the laughter was causing her side stitches to pull and cause more pain. "No, it's just, it's nice to say that I don't need therapy. Of course I still want to see you Emma."

"Well that's nice to hear. I think that yes, we can slow the therapy sessions down again, but I'd still like to meet at least once a week now to monitor things and we can slowly fade them out. You've really done well Gabriella, truly," assured Emma, smiling at the young princess who looked so relieved to hear those words.

The sound of the door opening drew their attention away from their conversation as they saw a somber Annette and Stephen walk back into the room, leaving the door open as Paul and Curtis followed them in. Emma made to leave but Annette put a hand on her arm, gently stopping her departure. "I think we may need you depending on how this goes," murmured the other woman, making Emma root herself to her spot at the end of Gabriella's bed.

"Mom? Dad? What's wrong?" asked Gabriella, instantly panicked by the seriousness in the air.

Stephen and Annette exchanged glances, silently deciding that Annette would be the first to speak. Annette took a seat on the side of Gabriella's bed and gently took Gabriella's hand in hers. "Your car was vandalized sometime in the last twenty-four hours at East High. The tires were slashed, the windows broken, and there are words written all over the car."

Gabriella paled at this, wondering what it could possibly look like. "Words like what has been written on my locker?" asked Gabriella, directing this more towards the bodyguards who were more familiar with what she was thinking of.

"Yes, along those same lines," answered Paul. "Your car was fine yesterday before we left with you to the hospital but when we sent someone back to get it late last night, we discovered its sorry condition. Unfortunately, since it was parked out on the street because you couldn't find a spot in the parking lot, there is no camera evidence to tell who did this."

Gabriella shivered at the idea that someone else, someone other than Alicia and Riley could want to harm something of hers like that. "At least it was just a car, right?"

Annette smiled down at her daughter. "You're right, it was just a car."

"There's more though. Last night, the police found Alicia bleeding from around the wrists in her hospital room. Apparently, Alicia used the handcuffs around her wrists that bound her to her bed to try to kill herself," revealed Stephen, carefully choosing his words as he watched Gabriella's reaction turn to one of horror.

"Is she all right?" asked Gabriella.

Stephen nodded his head. "The doctors patched her up and she was restrained with less dangerous things before she was moved to a padded room under suicide watch early this morning."

"How do they know she was trying to kill herself though? Those handcuffs can cause chaffing, right?" questioned Gabriella, trying to understand what happened to the other girl after the locker room fight.

This time Paul stepped in, confirming what Gabriella said. "Handcuffs, if tugged on hard, can cause cuts into the skin, but her wrists showed repeated attempts at cutting the same spot repeatedly, deeply. Gabriella, Alicia knew what she was doing, she was trying to kill herself. She even screamed that she wanted to be left alone to die at her own hands when the medical staff and police officers swarmed her room. There's no doubt of what she was trying to do."

As Gabriella remained silent, trying to absorb everything, Stephen noticed Troy hesitantly standing in the doorway and motioned with his head for the young man to come in, and seeing the paleness of his skin, it seemed that Troy had heard the last bit about Alicia's suicide attempt.

"So what does this mean for her?" asked Gabriella, finally asking the question everyone was wondering at the moment.

Stephen turned his attention from Troy, who was now standing behind Annette, to Gabriella. "Well, there's two ways this can go. She can be prosecuted and sent to jail or we can have her heavily watched in a facility to get help. Your mother and I have talked and we want this to be your decision."

Gabriella let out a sigh as she thought about Alicia and all that had gone on in the last day, in the last few months, and even in the last year. She thought about the words Alicia had said to Gabriella in the past, especially focusing on the dialogue they had the day before in the locker room, recalling the crazed look in Alicia's eyes and that maniacal grin. "I want her to get help. Alicia needs it more than I need to see her behind bars. I don't think Alicia ever truly meant for what happened yesterday in the locker room to happen, I think something was driving her crazy and she just snapped by the looks she was giving me yesterday. Can we just make sure she gets the help she needs? That's all I want, is for her to get better," announced Gabriella, finally looking up at her father and then everyone around the bed that now included Troy's familiar face. "Troy!"

He grinned at her and stepped forward a little more, giving her a comforting smile. "Hey Brie."

Annette looked to her right and smiled at her daughter's boyfriend before she asked, "Are you sure about this Gabriella? I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to see this girl sentenced to prison like Riley."

Gabriella shook her head at this though. "No, I don't think she was in the right mind yesterday. Alicia has remorse about what has happened otherwise she would never have tried to kill herself. Riley didn't ever have that, he relished in his truths, in his lies, and hurting me. I think she actually felt bad last night."

"But she never said she felt sorry about it," Stephen gently reminded his daughter. "Those words never came out of her mouth."

"They didn't have to," answered Gabriella, confident that this was the right decision. "Alicia has been troubled by what she perceived me as doing, stealing her life away. Is she paranoid? Yes. Is she a bit loopy in the head? Yes. Would she try to kill me again if she was rational? I don't think so. She's clearly hurting Dad, and I can't cause her more pain by having her suffer in a prison away from the help she needs. I really do want her to get help though."

"That can be arranged. We'll have her committed to a facility an hour outside of Albuquerque that has a very good reputation for rehabilitation. I'll speak with her parents and make sure they understand our views and our wishes. We'll work something out with them. Are you sure though Gabriella, that this is really what you want?" questioned Stephen, wanting to make sure that Gabriella wouldn't later change her mind.

"I'm sure Dad. I feel bad for her enough as it is already. I can't in good conscience make her life more hellish by condemning her to a life behind bars, even if it's for a few years," returned Gabriella.

"Then it's settled," announced Stephen, leaning down and kissing Gabriella's forehead again. "Your mother and I are going to go over and talk to the Covina family right now, they are expecting us. Will you be all right here?"

Gabriella nodded, looking over at Troy. "I'll have Troy here not to mention Paul and Emma. Go, please just promise me we'll help Alicia get whatever help she needs to feel better."

Annette smiled a little and kissed her daughter's cheek before straightening. "We will, don't worry sweetie."

With that, Annette and Stephen left the room with Curtis following them. Paul discreetly moved to the windows on the other side of the room leaving Emma and Troy standing beside Gabriella's bed.

"I'm strangely proud of you Brie for deciding that. I'm quite surprised actually," said Troy as he sat down where Annette had sat on Gabriella's bed moments before.

"That I could be mature enough to want her to get mental help instead of wanting revenge by putting her in jail?" questioned Gabriella.

Troy shook his head. "No, that you could be more level-headed than I am right now and make that decision for yourself to help Alicia get the help she clearly needs. Had it been me, I don't know if I'd be able to be that mature, to not want to make Alicia suffer. I guess that's why I have always said you were the smarter one of the two of us."

Emma smiled at the two. "I have to agree with Troy here Gabriella. That was very big of you and I'm proud of you too. I think what you decided just now about Alicia's future will help her far more than any amount of time in prison would. You did the right thing."

"Thanks Emma," murmured Gabriella, getting slightly distracted by Troy's thumb, which was currently drawing patterns on her open palm that was in his hand.

Emma noticed and grinned more. "I better leave you two. Paul, walk me to my car?"

Paul took this as a signal to leave the young couple alone and nodded his head, giving Gabriella a reassuring smile before leaving the room with Emma. When the door closed, Troy turned his attention back on Gabriella, smiling back at her when he saw her gentle smile on her face. "What?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking of how cute you are," admitted Gabriella. "I know that if you were in my spot, you would have decided the same thing. Your heart is just as gentle and as big as you say mine is and that's something I cherish in you."

"Oh really? What else do you cherish about me Brie?" asked Troy, cocking his eyebrow a little.

"Hmm, I think that's it," teased Gabriella, causing Troy to tickle her sides a little until she was giggling before she winced in pain, reminding Troy of her newly stitched injury.

"I'm sorry Brie, I forgot," stated Troy, guilt written clearly across his face.

"Don't be, I'm fine," assured Gabriella after taking in a few deep breaths to push aside the pain.

"No you aren't. How many stitches did you get?" asked Troy, for some reason curious.

Gabriella shrugged. "You can look. I haven't the faintest idea."

Troy slowly drew down the comforter and raised Gabriella's t-shirt a little so that her right side was exposed. He gently peeled back the medical tape and the bandage and drew in a breath as he saw the seven stitches glaring back at him before he replaced the bandage and the tape. "Seven," he announced before taking the opportunity to kiss the bandage first and then her bare stomach before pulling her shirt back down and then the comforter back up. "Seven stitches. I think I may have you beat but it does look like she dragged that knife down after she took a stab at you."

"How many stitches did you get?" asked Gabriella, realizing she never knew.

"I think eight or nine," replied Troy.

After a few moments, Gabriella decided she wanted to see Troy's scar. "Can I see your scar?"

Troy looked back at her before he nodded. "Sure," agreed Troy, drawing up his sweatshirt and t-shirt to expose his abdominal muscles but specifically his left side where there was a pale white scar on his body.

Gabriella gently reached out a hand and touched it, running her fingers along it before looking back at Troy. "I'm sorry Troy, you wouldn't have that if it wasn't for me."

Troy immediately dropped his clothes back into place as he looked back at his girlfriend. "No, you don't get to blame yourself, remember? And if you insist on blaming yourself for this, I'll blame myself for your soon to be scar on your right side as I already do because I promised to protect you and failed, again."

"No, you didn't," argued Gabriella, seeing Troy's logic even though it wasn't the truth. "I had to save myself yesterday but you were with me, as were my parents, as was Tessa, Taylor, and the others. You are all the reason why I didn't give in, why I fought. Even after Alicia lunged at me and managed to stab me with her knife in my side, after she had me in a hold with the same knife at my throat, I knew that she was full of it and that my life, my reality was the truth. You can't protect me from everything Troy, in fact I don't want you to, but you being there in my mind, in my heart, that is what matters. That's what I draw on when you aren't by my side so you see, you have nothing to blame yourself for."

"Well then Miss Philosophical, you can't blame yourself for my scars either. They were for good causes," teased Troy. "I swear though, if you do anything more like passing out on me after losing so much blood again, I don't know what I'll do."

Gabriella weakly smiled back at him. "Don't worry, I don't plan on doing that anytime soon."

"Good," returned Troy. He saw Gabriella try to sneak a yawn by covering her mouth and got up from the bed. "I better leave you so you can get your rest."

"I am tired," admitted Gabriella. "Could be the pain medicines. Will you stay with me?"

Troy eyed the closed door and then looked back at Gabriella. "Are you sure?"

Gabriella nodded her head. "I just need you beside me right now and not in a chair mister," said Gabriella, seeing Troy was going to get her desk chair.

"Oh," uttered Troy, a grin forming on his face as he understood what Gabriella meant.

He went to the other side of her bed and kicked off his shoes, pulling his sweatshirt off as well before he carefully got onto her queen sized bed and scooted over to Gabriella. He stacked two of her pillows together so he could rest his back and head against them as Gabriella shifted her body so she was lying on her left side, slightly curled into Troy's body with the comforter between them. Troy felt himself smirk as the teddy bear he had given her so many months ago came tumbling into his lap while Gabriella abandoned her hold on the stuffed animal to wrap her arm around Troy's body while she rested her head on his chest and immediately drifted off to sleep.

About twenty minutes later, he heard a soft knock and looked over to see Taylor and Tessa entering the room. They gave him a knowing look as they took in Gabriella's sleeping form snuggled against him and he gave them a small shrug back. Tessa just shook her head as she returned his smirk while Taylor just smiled.

"Glad some things never change Bolton," said Tessa quietly.

"Me too, me too," responded Troy, absently running his fingers through Gabriella's dark brown wavy hair and smiling as she let out a dreamy sigh just then, causing Tessa and Taylor to giggle softly together.

"Guess she knows she's in good company," remarked Taylor softly. "Mind if we stay and keep vigil with you until she wakes up again?"

Troy shook his head. "Not at all. I know Brie would love to see you two, as she always does. Grab two chairs and we'll just wait for Sleeping Beauty to wake herself up."

Tessa raised an eyebrow at this. "Aren't you supposed to be waking her up with a kiss then?"

"Nah, this Sleeping Beauty has a spirit of her own as she showed clearly yesterday. She'll wake up when she's ready and all we can do until then is wait," said Troy, kissing Gabriella's forehead lightly before smiling again at Taylor and Tessa who were now seated next to the bed.

"I guess so," agreed Tessa, returning the smile before she settled into her chair and began to read the book she'd brought, determined to do just that, to wait to talk to her best friend who she knew she could have lost yesterday and may still lose in the near future.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

It was now Thursday, which meant it was almost three full days since Alicia and Gabriella had faced off in the girls' locker room at East High. Alicia had been sent to the institution her parents had suggested to the Covina family but was still under suicide watch there. Gabriella on the other hand still hadn't returned to East High, still not having all the energy to do so quite yet. She did however have enough strength to make it down to the library, which is where Stephen and Annette found her, curled up on the window seat with a blanket tucked around her, a good book in her hand.

"Hey sweetie," greeted Annette, forcing a smile on her face that spoke volumes to Gabriella.

Gabriella looked back at both of her parents and was filled with a sense of dread, not knowing what could be actually going on now but from the expressions on their faces, not really sure if she wanted to know. "Afternoon Mom, Dad," greeted Gabriella, not bothering to put a fake smile on her face.

Stephen took a deep breath in and let it out while Annette took a seat on the window seat at Gabriella's feet. "What are you reading?" asked Stephen.

"Oh, _Little Women_. It's always been a classic for me," replied Gabriella, placing her bookmark on the current section she was reading and closing the book. "Why do I feel like my life is going to be dramatically changing?"

Stephen eyed Gabriella for a moment before he let out a sigh. "Always perceptive. I think you get that from your mother. Yes, your life is about to change. With the recent events to be considered, we're leaving for Copanvy on Sunday. It's not safe for you here, you're stuck in this mansion almost all the time, and there's no way we can risk sending you back to East High or any other public school around. I'm sorry Gabriella."

"No!" exclaimed Gabriella, surprising Annette and Stephen when she threw the book in her hands down on the ground. "You can't do this! Mom, you promised we could stay until graduation!"

"I know sweetie but things have changed, our lives have changed so much since last January. This is something I can't control, it's not like my company is moving us this time," replied Annette, reaching out to grab Gabriella's hand, which she immediately moved out of reach. "Gabriella, please try to understand…"

"I've tried to understand! I've tried to be the good daughter here, I've tried to be strong but you aren't making any of this easy on me! Dad got a choice as to what life he wanted to live, why can't I?" argued Gabriella, standing up and leaving the discarded blanket on the ground. "This isn't fair!"

"Gabriella Felicia Anna Lauren Montez, you calm down right this instant!" yelled Stephen, angered at his daughter's sudden outburst of attitude. "Do you think we're purposely trying to ruin your life? Do you think that your mother and I don't care for you enough to want whatever makes you happy? We do! We love you Gabriella! Why else are we trying so valiantly to protect you, to protect your life? Do you understand what type of threats have been going on? Not only what stupid stuff has been going on at school, not only your vandalized car, but there have been letters sent in the mail for you, over the trial, over you just being royalty. Threatening to hurt you, to kill you, do you think that's fair to any of us to leave you exposed to any of that?"

"Stephen!" scolded Annette, stopping her husband's rant. "That's unnecessary!"

"No, it is necessary, it's clear we've sheltered Gabriella too much, she needs to know what's really going on so she understands that we aren't just being harsh, unloving parents but quite the opposite, loving parents who don't want to lose their daughter," replied Stephen, the second half of his response said in a more controlled tone.

Both Annette and Stephen looked back to Gabriella, who was currently leaning against the wall, silently looking at both of them, her usually tanned skin pale. "Gabriella?" asked Annette.

"How long? How long has this really been happening?" questioned Gabriella in a tiny voice, blinking her eyes several times to try to control the tears.

Stephen let out a deep breath. "For a few months, increasing as the trial came to a close. A lot of it has been dismissed as practical jokes or empty threats although the team has caught some suspicious people lurking around the perimeter. They even almost pulled aside Troy one night when they spotted him sitting in his truck on his cell phone but recognized him at the last minute."

Gabriella thought back and realized that must have been the night Troy came to check on her, the night the news started covering the trial.

"Sweetie, we're sorry but there isn't much else we can do here," apologized Annette. "I agree with your father on this, it is just our time to go. If we stay here, it's not like we can send you to school here, you can't go back to East High."

"What about a private school then?" returned Gabriella. "Somewhere where no one will know me or the trial."

"That would be a distance away from here. I thought the whole reason why you would want to not go back to Copanvy is to stay here in Albuquerque," stated Annette.

"Well yeah, but if I can't stay here then at least I'd still be in the same country as everyone else you are asking me to leave behind," said Gabriella, starting to feel herself losing the battle of staying.

Stephen slowly walked over to Gabriella and took both of her hands in his. "Listen to me baby girl, I wouldn't put you through all this, I wouldn't ask so much of you, unless it was absolutely necessary. I know it's going to be tough to leave all the friends you've made here, especially one brown haired, blue eyed boy, but we have to go, if for no other reason but to keep you safe. I know you're far stronger now than back in May but having that inner strength doesn't make you invincible either. Even Superwoman has her weaknesses, right? We've already arranged for the team to take you back to East High to collect your stuff, so you can say good-bye, as Paul pointed out that having one last good-bye at a school is important to you. Is he right?"

Gabriella nodded her head, bringing herself to look her father in his eyes again. "He is, Paul is always right. That's also how the whole Riley thing happened though."

"We're sending you with a lot more than just Paul this time. Principal Matsui is going to meet you at the front and escort you as well. Will you be able to do this though? Physically?" asked Stephen. "We can certainly have someone go in place of you if you can't."

"No, I need to do this. Physically, as long as we go slow, I think I'll be fine. Emotionally, that's a whole different story. I have more attachment to East High in my heart and memories I think than West High or any other school I've been to," confessed Gabriella. "When do we go?"

Stephen looked at his watch and saw that it was close to the time. "About fifteen minutes. The school should be cleared out by the time you get there for the most part. Gabriella, please, forgive us but there isn't anything else we can do."

Gabriella stared back at her father and knew he was telling the truth, as hard as it was for her to still accept what was now happening. "I understand, well I'm trying to understand Dad, really. I didn't know so much was going on, I'm sorry for my outburst. I just wish I had more time is all. I don't even know how I'll tell the gang, especially… Troy. Oh God…"

Annette stood up quickly and gathered her tearful daughter in her arms. "Sweetie, it'll be okay, I promise you. You are both so young, you could have gone to separate colleges and been separated then anyway. If your love is true, you'll still be together in at least each other's hearts."

"It's not the same though Mom, it isn't," argued Gabriella while she clung to her mother and let the sadness that was inevitable fill her as her mother just let her cry there in her arms.

Stephen watched on, misery in his own eyes, as he saw how much pain his daughter was in, saw how much torture Annette felt as well. 'If there was an easy compromise that would allow me to give you the life you so desperately want, I would give it to you in a heartbeat Gabriella. There's just no other way, especially with all the tabloid and false reporting going on back in Copanvy. My parents aren't standing for it but there's no need for you to worry about all that now. In time all will be revealed, but I just want to protect you from whatever I can for a little longer.'

- - -

As promised, Principal Matsui had been waiting for Gabriella and the six bodyguards she had with her, including Paul and Curtis, when they reached the front of East High.

"I'm so sorry we have to meet and bid farewell under these circumstances Princess Gabriella," greeted Principal Matsui, giving her a sympathetic look.

"So am I Principal Matsui," responded Gabriella, not even bothering to correct him with using her royal title. 'Guess I have to get used to that too.'

Gabriella had kept her sunglasses on since before she left her room back at the mansion but had to raise them as they entered the halls so she could clearly look at everything and store all the images in her memory. They walked by the cafeteria and Gabriella couldn't resist one last peek, glancing longingly at the table that she and the rest of her close friends at East shared so many lunches at with so much laughter and memorable conversations. Next, they passed Gabriella's old locker, surprisingly cleaned, which made sense as Principal Matsui explained that he had a new door put on it just an hour ago after school ended. They finally reached the locker she shared, well used to share, with Troy and she put in the familiar combination, feeling her throat tighten with each turn of the knob.

She took in a deep breath and wiped away a stray tear as she opened her bag and hooked it on the locker's hook as she slowly filled it with her belongings, pausing as she fingered Troy's game jersey that she had never seen him wear more than a handful of times. Just then, Gabriella felt a comforting hand on her arm and turned to see a sympathetic Paul looking back at her. She looked around and was glad that everyone else, even Principal Matsui, had the decency to turn their backs to her so she could take care of this matter in private, everyone except for Paul, who understood the need to have someone with her. Gabriella gave him a watery smile before she took out a picture she had printed fresh from Taylor's posting and took a piece of tape and taped the picture on the locker. Paul couldn't help but smile as he saw that it was a picture that was taken the past weekend, with Gabriella and Troy with their foreheads leaned against each other, both staring deeply in each other's eyes.

"He'll love it," murmured Paul, reminding Gabriella in some ways that they had to go.

"Thanks," she whispered back, surveying the locker one last time before zipping up her bag.

Before she could put it on her shoulder though, Paul's hand shot out and took it from her. "Let me, your side is still healing," reminded Paul, slinging the bag onto his shoulder. "I'm guessing we need to stop by one last place, right?"

Gabriella looked at him puzzled for a moment before she realized what he meant. "Yes, please," begged Gabriella, relieved when Paul nodded his head and started the team in the direction of the secret spot after he and Gabriella both said a proper farewell to the principal of East High, both feeling it unfair of them to keep him tied up any longer.

- - -

"Chad, I'll be back! I left my game jersey in my locker!" called out Troy as he slipped on a practice t-shirt and ran out of the locker room, knowing that his father would be starting another session of pre-season practice in only minutes and wanted the entire team to be in uniform for the practice, to become one with their jersey or something like that.

He ran through the halls but skidded to a halt as he saw familiar looking guys in suits. "Paul?" asked Troy, somewhat surprised by the presence of the Montez's security team.

Paul looked over and sighed, realizing that he would have to clue Troy in on what was going on. "Hey Troy," greeted Paul as the high schooler slowly approached them. "How's it going?"

"I'm good. Why are you here? Where's Gabriella?" asked Troy.

Paul looked at Troy and found that he couldn't bring himself to be the one to tell him everything. "She's up there," answered Paul, not surprised at the speed with which Troy made his way through the security team and up the flights of stairs while Paul and the rest of the team stayed where they were in the hall.

Troy sprinted up the stairs, skipping every two but slowed down once he got near the top and heard quiet sobbing. He felt his heart clench as Troy's mind was slowly putting together everything that was going on. "Brie?"

Gabriella quickly spun around at the sound of her nickname only Troy used and immediately rushed into his arms, shoving aside the pain of the stitches in her side that began to burn at the sudden movement. "God Troy, I swear I didn't know this was going to happen so soon!"

"Shh, it'll be okay. What's going on?" asked Troy, gathering Gabriella into his arms, careful to avoid her injuries. "Why are you here?"

Gabriella took her time and tried to ease her breathing before she pulled back and looked Troy in the eyes. "I'm… we're… leaving for Copanvy on Sunday," announced Gabriella, closing her eyes and tucking her head back into the crook of Troy's neck as soon as she saw the pain cloud Troy's usually bright blue eyes. "I'm so sorry Troy. I couldn't stop them this time."

Troy couldn't think of the words to say to comfort her just then, for the first time in a long time, as Troy was not only shocked but in too much pain himself. He allowed his tears to roll down his cheeks unchecked while he buried his face in her hair, closing his eyes against the reality of Gabriella not being there, in his arms, in the matter of days, not even weeks or months now. Eventually, Troy forced himself to open his eyes again and instead stared off into the distant scenery, not really seeing the birds fly by or the clouds as they passed as all Troy could take in was that Gabriella, the young woman he promised himself to, that he loved, was leaving for what seemed like good.

After several more minutes of just holding each other, breathing in each other's scent, Gabriella managed to pull away slightly from Troy's chest, a bit embarrassed to see the huge water stain she had left on his t-shirt. "Sorry," murmured Gabriella, wiping away some of her tears.

Troy looked down at his shirt and gave her a crooked smile. "Don't worry about it. I'm sad that they are tears though. What are we going to do Brie?"

"I don't know," whispered Gabriella. "I can't imagine my life without you but I don't want to hold you back either, which, before you say anything, I know that I would be if we stayed together despite all the distance."

"But I don't want to let you go, I can't let you go," murmured Troy, dropping his forehead so that it rested on hers, blue eyes and brown eyes mere inches from each other.

Gabriella sniffled and smiled a little as Troy reached up and brushed away a few more tears that had escaped her now reddening eyes. "I can't either but what else can we do?"

Troy thought for a moment before he got an idea. "Let's elope! We'll run away, dodge Paul, and go to Las Vegas!"

Gabriella rolled her eyes at Troy as she could tell he was joking with the silly grin he always got on his face when he was teasing her. "Not funny. Besides, I don't see how you'd escape the wrath from my dad, for stealing me away, and my mom, for not allowing her to be there on my special day, once Paul and the team caught us when we realized finally that we couldn't wed until we were both eighteen years old without parental consent."

"Always have to use that brain of yours and spoil my fun," pouted Troy, glad that he was able to bring a little bit more fun into their current situation. "Seriously though, there has to be something we can do."

"I don't know what there is we can do but to live up these next two days together. Wait, what are you doing here at school at this hour?" asked Gabriella, realizing that it was well after school now.

"Pre-season practice," replied Troy.

"Troy! Your dad is going to freak that you aren't there right now in the gym!" exclaimed Gabriella.

"Let him, you are far more important to me," returned Troy, kissing her forehead and then her lips.

Gabriella sadly looked into his eyes. "Troy, this is what I mean, I can't ask you to give up your life for me."

"I'm not, it's just a stupid basketball practice," retorted Troy, causing Gabriella to arch her right eyebrow.

"Since when did you refer to basketball as stupid?" questioned Gabriella. "Look, I don't want to argue or fight with you, not when we have so little time left. I'm going to call Tessa, Taylor, and Sharpay over tonight, please come after practice. I know you have school tomorrow but I want to spend whatever time I can with you."

"I do too, trust me. And yes, you can bet I'll be there tonight, despite being outnumbered horribly," he teased, sobering as he heard not even a giggle at his joke. "I guess this is the last time I get to keep you up here, in our little spot huh? The last time I get to kiss you up here?"

Tears began to fill Gabriella's dark brown eyes as she sadly nodded her head. "I guess so," she whispered, feeling her body begin to tremble.

"Then let's make them good ones," replied Troy, his own voice huskier due to the unshed tears he was trying to hold back.

Gabriella and Troy leaned into each other as their lips softly met, each committing the moment to their memories. Troy savored the taste of her sweet cherry lip gloss mixed with the saltiness of her tears while Gabriella memorized the feel of Troy's hair as she slowly slipped her hands through it, wanting to remember each strand and the way they slipped through her hold. They shared that kiss for several minutes, neither wanting to break away, both unaware of the chill that was settling in as the sun began to set on the horizon, for Troy and Gabriella recognized that this was the last memory either would have of their shared time here in the halls of East High and that it would have to last a lifetime.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

"I so cannot believe you did that Gaby! Talk about a huge leap of faith!" exclaimed Tessa, in awe as she watched the sky diving video that was currently playing in the movie room. "How the hell did you let Troy get you into that plane? You're scared of heights!"

Gabriella shook her head. "Don't ask me, ask him!"

Troy chuckled a little as he brought her hand closer to his lips so he could kiss her knuckles. "Just some sweet persuasion is all Tessa. It was an activity that both of us could do, away from this mansion, that would also give us privacy. There really aren't any paparazzi on the plane and we had the tinted SUVs take us there and back before anyone was really the wiser as to what we were doing."

"I can understand that part but how did you get her to jump?" asked Taylor, also knowing full well that Gabriella was not a huge fan of high things, let alone jumping from a plane to free fall down to Earth.

Troy smiled at Gabriella before he said, "With the promise that I would be there with her in facing this fear of hers, holding hands as you can see from the video for most of the way after our separate jumps with our instructors until we had to break away for the landing."

"And slick Troy even got in a kiss midair," commented Zeke, shaking his head. "Only you dude, only you."

"Aww, there it is, the kiss!" shouted Martha as the videographer captured the tender moment in the middle of the air.

"I'm sure that's one of the most memorable moments either of you have shared," commented Ryan. "That's good for both of you, for overcoming your fear but also doing something so amazing as one of the last things you do together for a while."

Sharpay smacked Ryan's arm hard as he brought up the unmentioned topic of the day. "Ryan!" scolded Sharpay, making Ryan blush as he realized what he just said.

Gabriella sadly gazed back at Troy and shook her head. "It's okay. I know all of you made some sort of pact to ignore the fact that I'm leaving tomorrow but it's reality, a sad reality and it's happening. Troy and I have come to terms with it and still managed to have a good time yesterday. I suspect we can do the same without tiptoeing around the topic around me, honestly. I don't want our last memory all together to be of me causing unsaid tension because of my departure."

"Aren't you sad?" asked Jason, getting a glare from Martha and Kelsi both.

"I am," admitted Gabriella, wiping away a tear quickly but blinking the rest back. "But, as Emma would say, it's not worth it to cry about the inevitable. We all knew it would happen someday. It just turned out someday was sooner than we thought."

"Well I for one am not allowing you to forget all of us commoners," said Tessa, grinning at her best friend. "Just because you'll be an official princess of a foreign country soon does not mean you get to forget about us!"

"Hey, who are you calling commoners!" protested Sharpay before Ryan slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Excuse my sister, she's still a bit, well, high strung," apologized Ryan, glaring back at his twin who was giving him her famous death look.

Gabriella was the first to giggle at this, instantly relaxing the mood again. "See, this is exactly why I will never forget any of you. Besides, we can still visit each other, especially after you all go to colleges on your own separate ways. I won't feel like such an oddball during visits as everyone will be catching up then too."

"She does have a point," agreed Kelsi. "We aren't always going to be together like this. The rest of us may just have some more time together but we all will go our separate ways when the times comes like Gabriella. I mean, Tessa isn't always with us either because of her high school being different."

"Enough of all the sad talk! I think Gabriella needs to have one last afternoon of spending silly time with us, not these hard good-byes," stated Chad, getting a supportive smile from his girlfriend. "Gab, what do you want to do?"

Gabriella thought for a few moments, thinking of the options. "Well, most of everything is already packed away or will be moved out by the end of today. We could stay in this room and watch some DVDs Taylor and Tessa brought over while we just talk. I'd be good with that for a last memory to hold me over for a while."

"Then that's what we'll do," decided Chad for the group. "Although, with Taylor and Tessa's taste, I think us guys may want to channel ESPN or something into a side TV here."

"Hey!" protested Taylor. "They aren't that bad!"

"Oh really?" asked Zeke, peeking into the bag next to him that Tessa brought with her. He put a hand in and grabbed a handful of DVDs. "_The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, Dirty Dancing, _and _Becoming Jane_? How are these not chick flicks?"

Tessa grabbed them back and stuffed them back in her bag. "Hey, you guys could have brought your own!"

"It's not like any of us had any warning about this," complained Jason.

"No, it's more like you didn't think," countered Sharpay, getting a high five from Tessa, who was sitting in front of the blonde.

Troy just shook his head as he whispered something into Gabriella's ear that made her blush a little before he got up and retrieved Gabriella's copy of the skydiving experience from the day before. He handed it to her and kissed her quickly on the lips as he sat back down. "I'm so glad that your parents agreed to let you do that with me yesterday."

"I'm glad your parents understood enough to let you skip school all day to be with me yesterday," returned Gabriella. "That means a lot."

"Well, they know how much you have come to mean to me. As we agreed back in Hawaii, we both have some pretty cool parents," stated Troy.

"That we do," agreed Gabriella, leaning her head onto his left shoulder while the rest of their friends bickered about which movie to watch.

Eventually, the room's lights were dimmed a little as the victorious movie was popped into the DVD player, Gabriella finding herself giggling at the groans from Zeke, Chad, and Jason as the credits for _Becoming Jane_ came on the screen.

"Quiet!" scolded Taylor, causing the girls to laugh as it was followed shortly by the sound of Chad getting smacked most likely on the back of his head.

Zeke and Tessa came back into the room with a few bags of microwave popcorn she had brought along with a bag full of canned soda that got passed around. Once everyone settled down, everyone's attention went to the movie as even Zeke, Jason, and Chad got into it, following the storyline as it unfolded. As soon as the credits were over though, the three boys were up and begging for release from the torture.

"Evans! You live nearby. Can we please get something other than these chick flicks?" begged Chad, ignoring the nasty look Taylor was giving him.

Ryan immediately agreed. "Come on, I have Sharpay's keys so we'll just take her car and pop back within twenty minutes."

"That's my man! The dude of the hour!" called out Jason as he followed Zeke, Chad, and Ryan out of the room.

"Aren't you going to go with them?" asked Gabriella, looking at Troy.

"Nope," replied Troy, giving her a little nudge. "I could care less what we watch, as long as I'm with you."

They leaned into each other and shared yet another sweet kiss that left the girls in the room awing. "What are we going to do when we don't have our sweetest romantic couple around anymore to aww at?" teased Sharpay, winking at Gabriella.

"Look to yourselves?" suggested Gabriella with a little laugh. "Hey Tessa, do you have the jewelry I let you borrow for your date with Zeke last week?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. It's in my bag," said Tessa from where she was sitting, conversing with Taylor and Kelsi about something quietly.

Gabriella nodded and took the liberty to grab Tessa's bag and drag it over, finding the jewelry and handing it to Troy to add to the pile of other things she would have to pack later, like the skydiving DVD. She was about to move the bag back over when she saw a magazine that was folded over to expose a page with her name on it. With a shaky hand, Gabriella reached back in and drew the magazine out, unfolding it to see a spread in the magazine about her and her relationship with Troy. Troy noticed the tenseness in Gabriella's body and looked over, a bit taken aback by how detailed the article got.

Sharpay glanced over at the couple, expecting to see the two to be kissing since they were so quiet but saw that they were instead reading something. She peeked over the seats more and realized that it was the latest tabloid magazine that had a written detailed section on Gabriella and Troy's relationship. Sharpay reached over the seat and tried to grab it, but Gabriella held firm, shaking her head. "No, I need to read this."

Tessa looked over at the commotion and felt her eyes grow wide as she realized that Gabriella and Troy both were looking at the magazine she forgot she had in her bag. "Umm, Gabriella, you really don't need to read that, honest," claimed Tessa, immediately getting up and going over to where the couple was sitting, where Sharpay was helplessly watching their reactions. Taylor, Martha, and Kelsi also came over, carefully watching the expressions on their faces as they turned the page and were greeted with a set of recent pictures of them, one that was very granular indicating it was taken from far away and then blown up.

"Must have been from last Saturday," commented Troy, shaking his head in disbelief as he stared at one of them kissing through a set of French doors.

When Gabriella was done reading, she handed it over to Tessa, who immediately closed the magazine and slipped it back into her bag. "Don't believe a word it said Gaby, it's just written to sell magazines. I didn't even buy this one, my mom embarrassingly enough subscribes."

"I just have to wonder who their sources are," said Gabriella, seeing that some of the most intimate details of the two were unnamed, close to the subject, sources. "Who would sell our relationship like that?"

The girls exchanged looks and all volunteered the fact that none of them did. "I don't think either of us implied that any of you or the guys would have," commented Troy, seeing relieved looks on each of their faces as he said this. "It could be someone though that has watched us closer than we thought at East or West. We won't ever know Brie."

Gabriella sadly nodded her head. "I guess this is another reason why my grandparents want me home. I must be so scandalous for them, first with the rape and then the run in with Alicia that is sure to come out. I must be a PR nightmare for them."

"Hey, don't say that Brie, you'd never be anyone's nightmare," soothed Troy, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and kissing the top of her head as she leaned into his hold.

"Besides, it's not like you're going out to bars and dancing on the tables while stripping," added Taylor.

"Or out getting high with your lowlife friends," teased Tessa.

"Or going on shopping sprees, blowing thousands of dollars at a time. I should know, I've tried to get you to do that and you still way under shop me," said Sharpay.

Martha laughed. "I think I'd die the day that any of us out shop you!"

"Agreed!" exclaimed Kelsi, causing all the girls to laugh as Troy rolled his eyes. "Although Gabriella, your wardrobe is quite impressive for what you spend, even when you have a huge budget to work with."

Gabriella shrugged her shoulders. "You don't need to spend a lot of money if you know what to buy and when."

"Ah, I knew I chose you out of all the other high maintenance girls for a reason," said Troy, winking at her and making Gabriella blush.

"You know Gabriella, half of that article, well three-quarters of that article isn't even true. I wouldn't worry about it," commented Tessa. "Everyone who loves you knows the real Gabriella and Troy story, not this bunch of garbage. Although, I think I will start calling you Troyella from now on, just as the media has started calling you."

Gabriella scrunched up her little nose at this. "No way!"

"But it's so adorable! I bet it'll grow on you one day," predicted Taylor just before the four boys returned.

"We have returned and with good movies!" announced Ryan, plopping back down but making sure he was out of reach of his twin, who threw another dirty look his way.

"They better be good!" retorted Martha.

"Ouch, you think we'd pick bad ones?" asked Zeke, faking heartache.

"Don't make us answer," replied Tessa, laughing as Zeke overdramatized his hurt even more. "Come on, let's take a look."

The gang went through another three movies before the afternoon was out, not really paying attention to what was on the screen anyways as they all continued to talk, especially during the guys' pick, _Zoolander_.

Before any of them realized, the end of their day together came, having to end before dinner because Gabriella had to attend some gala with her parents that night before getting up early to fly to Copanvy. Troy was invited to go as Gabriella's date so they had a several hours left to spend together but for the other nine teenagers, this was the moment they had all been dreading. Everyone quietly gathered their stuff, Troy grabbing Gabriella's belongings from the seat next to where they had cuddled for several hours, and made their way to the main entry hall where everyone silently slipped on their jackets.

Jason was the first brave one to start the good-byes, approaching Gabriella quickly and giving her a hug. "I'll miss your tolerance of all my slowness."

Gabriella smiled back at him as she pulled away. "I'll miss your tolerance of my drama. Take good care of Kelsi, okay?"

Jason nodded and moved over so Kelsi could embrace Gabriella tightly. "You take good care of yourself Gabriella," said Kelsi. "Keep in touch."

"I will. And when you hear back from that stellar music college you are going to, you better email me. I don't want to hear the great news from our resident gossips," replied Gabriella.

Martha was next to hug Gabriella. "Keep up dancing and your love for music."

"Keep on dreaming and perfecting those moves Martha," returned Gabriella. "I'll be looking to see you on You Tube on one of those reality shows, dancing your butt off."

"I'll try," agreed Martha, wiping away a tear.

"Tsk, tsk, making all of us tear up," kidded Ryan as he gave Gabriella a good hug. "Here I was hoping we'd get you into one of our musicales. I guess another time, another place?"

"Sure Ryan," replied Gabriella. "I know Sharpay is a bit dramatic but will you continue to tolerate it and just put a smile on your face when you really want to strangle her for me?"

"Like I have any other choice," returned Ryan, giving Gabriella a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"I heard that!" protested Sharpay as she engulfed Gabriella in a big hug. "Mommy and Daddy said we're going to Europe this summer for a graduation party so I will definitely come and visit you. Can we stay at the palace do you think?"

Without hesitation, Gabriella said, "I think that can be arranged. We'll work out the details for sure! I'll miss you and your craziness."

"And I'll miss your down-to-earth ways, which are completely unnecessary yet pulled off so well by you," teased Sharpay, wiping away some of her tears but trying to laugh through them. "Don't go breaking my shopping record, you hear me?"

Gabriella laughed a little back, wiping her own tears away. "I won't."

Zeke handed Gabriella a paper bag before he embraced her, whispering to her that they were her special cookies, the ones she and he had invented one day while they were hanging out at Tessa's while Tessa was off napping.

"I can't believe you remember them!" exclaimed Gabriella, excitement in her teary brown eyes. "Thanks Zeke!"

"Anything for you. And before you ask, I plan on keeping Tessa happy, promise," replied Zeke, getting a kiss on the cheek from Gabriella for that.

"Well I don't really know what is in that bag he gave you but I think you know what's in this one," said Chad as he handed her a plastic bag that was tied in knots at the handles. "All I can say is that you are damn lucky I like you so much Montez."

Gabriella smiled back at him before hugging him tight. "Thank you Chad, that means a lot to me that you did it and that you are going to deliver what you are to his house tonight," whispered Gabriella into his ear before stepping back. "You'll take good care of Troy and Taylor both for me, right?"

"Of course. Troy may be a bit questionable but I'll keep an eye on him. Taylor is a given," stated Chad, kissing Gabriella's cheek before stepping aside to give Taylor and Tessa their own moment with their best friend.

The three girls exchanged looks and instantly started crying harder, knowing this was it. "Do you remember when we all hung out for the first time? At the homeless shelter?" asked Taylor.

Gabriella nodded. "I'm glad we were able to do that together up until all my craziness happened. You two have been the best friends I could have ever asked for," got out Gabriella. "Thank you so much for being there for me, for your endless support and love. Out of all the places I've had to move from, Albuquerque is the hardest and it is because of my bond with you two."

"And one hunky brown haired boy standing to your right," added Tessa, unable to tease Gabriella in person one last time. "We're going to miss you Gaby."

"Me too," replied Gabriella, just before all three shared in a long hug, leaning their heads together as they allowed their tears to mingle. "Both of you especially are expected to visit, you hear me?"

"Wouldn't dream of defying a princess," teased Tessa, sniffling as she broke the hug first.

"We'll exchange emails and phone calls. We also all invested in web cameras so we can still see each other every once in a while. Just don't forget to install it, all right," said Taylor, hugging Gabriella one last time.

"I won't," promised Gabriella, returning one last hug from Tessa. "Thank you so much Tessa for befriending me on that fateful first day at West High. I don't think I could have lasted this long without you."

Tessa let out a snort before she let a few more tears slide down her face. "Are you kidding me? You're Gabriella Montez, you'd survive so much more on your own. Thank you for being my best friend ever Gaby."

The two held onto each other for a few moments longer until Zeke and Troy both reached out to comfort each of the girls. Troy and Gabriella walked to the doorway and waved to the departing friends who were all getting into their separate cars, each throwing one last wave their way before driving away. Troy tightened his hold on Gabriella as he felt her sobs become greater, feeling his own throat tighten at the thought that their own good-bye was coming that much sooner now that it was only the two of them. 'Best make the best of it Troy,' thought Troy as he leaned his head down and just breathed in Gabriella's scent as he let her cry a little more before coaxing her back inside to get ready for the gala, neither of them wanting to let go of the other as they separated to get changed.

- - -

The limo had just stopped back at the top of the Montez estate's driveway when Troy reluctantly nudged Gabriella back awake. It was now 2 AM and Gabriella had fallen asleep ten minutes ago during the drive, being physically and emotionally exhausted. She slowly opened her eyes and saw that her mother and father had already gotten out of the limo. "Guess it's time huh?" asked Gabriella as she straightened and let Troy get out first before her.

Troy sadly nodded his head, hardly able to hold back the tears now. "I have to go, my parents wanted me to come home tonight, no doubt to make sure I don't try anything stupid out of depression or something."

Gabriella's head shot up to look at him. "You wouldn't would you?"

Troy shook his head. "No, of course not, but they know how hard this is to say good-bye to you for me. I guess they saw it in my eyes when they said their farewells to you yesterday for that moment we stopped by my house yesterday."

Both teenagers looked up as they heard a soft clearing of the throat. "We want to leave you two alone to do this but Troy, I wanted to say thank you, for being there for our daughter when we couldn't be and for being so mature and understanding about everything, for wanting what is best for her as we do. If we could do anything different to keep you two together, we would in a heartbeat, I want you to know that son. Gabriella is a lucky girl to have found you," said Stephen, offering Troy his right hand.

Troy took it and firmly shook it, looking sadly back into Stephen's eyes. "No sir, it is me who was lucky to have found your daughter. You and Mrs. Montez have raised a beautiful daughter, both inside and out. Thank you for giving me the time you have with her, it has changed my life forever."

Stephen grinned back at Troy and stepped back just in time to watch Annette hug Troy tightly, Gabriella having taken a step back a moment before.

"Thank you Troy, for being so wonderful. I couldn't imagine a better young man for my daughter. I know this is tough on you both now but I think your decision is the best one either of you can make right now and trust me, as I have told Gabriella, if it is meant to be, it will be. Your love has endured so much already, it's just a matter of time," soothed Annette, pulling away and wiping away a few tears before she kissed Troy's cheek.

Annette stepped away and immediately slipped her hand into Stephen's offered arm, both waving one last good-bye to Troy before stepping into the mansion. Paul took this as his opportunity to talk to Troy. He offered Troy his right hand as Stephen had done but pulled Troy close to him and hugged him, in that guy sort of way, pulling back and giving him a sad smile. "I know this is tough Troy but you'll see each other again. Remember, you'll always have each other in your hearts. I wouldn't have helped you out as much with all your romantic surprises if I didn't believe in you two and your love. You've taught this cynic a thing or two about what's possible. Take care of yourself, all right? No more fights with West? I can't be there to back you up in the future."

Troy managed to chuckle at this as he nodded his head. "I hear you man. Take care of Brie for me will you please? She means the world to me."

Paul smiled and nodded his head, giving Gabriella one last supportive look before he entered the mansion, the security team having decided earlier on in the night that there was to be no one visible to the young couple during this moment, all the necessary monitoring was to be done from afar or via camera.

Troy licked his now dry lips, turning his attention back on Gabriella, who was still dressed in the red spaghetti strapped cocktail dress, her hair slowly falling out of the updo it had been in. "You look so beautiful Brie, just how I always want to remember you," whispered Troy, letting the first of many tears fall again down his cheek. He leaned his head into Gabriella's soft palm as she reached up and wiped the tear away, along with the next. "Are you sure we're doing the right thing?"

Gabriella nodded her head. "We are Troy," replied Gabriella softly. "We talked it out last night remember, we even made one of my crazed lists of pros and cons and this is for the best, to let each other go for now. There's just too much distance and uncertainties between us starting tomorrow. You have your dreams Troy and I don't want to see you lose them on account of me."

"But I am, I'm losing you," returned Troy, leaning down so their foreheads touched as he wiped away some of her tears that clung to her cheeks. "Don't you know that by now? You are one of my dreams, always will be."

"Then we'll just have to wait and fight to make sure that dream comes true down the road, if that still is your dream by then," said Gabriella, sniffling a little. "You have the second half of senior year coming up soon, basketball season where I suspect you'll be champions yet again, much to West's dislike, and you have your entire college career ahead of you, not to mention the NBA. I can't in my right mind ask you to give all that up. I would never do that to you Troy and I know that you've offered to live in Copanvy after graduation from high school but I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror knowing I cut your other dreams short of coming true Troy."

Troy dragged in air through his mouth and slowly let it out, trying to control the heartache he was currently feeling. "So I guess then I have to say good-bye now huh?"

Gabriella nodded, shivering a little as the cold air brushed over her bare shoulders. Troy noticed immediately and almost smacked himself on his forehead at almost forgetting. He jogged over to his truck and opened the door, pulling out something before closing the door again, dropping the retrieved item around Gabriella's shoulders, pulling her body close to his again as he just held her, never wanting to let her go but knowing he had to in a few minutes.

She fingered the familiar fabric of the East High letterman jacket that Troy had lovingly worn for some time before she looked up at him again. "Are you sure?"

Troy nodded. "I want you to keep it, to keep you warm, to embrace you when I can't be there, even if we aren't together anymore. It'll be my special token to you. Take good care of it for me and send it back if you ever think of tossing it, all right?"

Gabriella shook her head. "Never, I'd never toss this Troy, not in a million years with a million holes in it. It means too much to me, you mean too much to me. God Troy, I love you so very much."

"I love you too Brie," murmured Troy just as their lips touch each other's again, both tasting the salt from their tears again. "Take good care of yourself and don't ever forget me."

"I'd never be able to forget you. Even if I had amnesia, I'd still know who you were by the beating of my heart," replied Gabriella. "I'll call you as soon as I'm settled in Copanvy, all right?"

"You better. It's going to be hard enough not to have the young woman of my heart and dreams here without being able to hear your voice every once in a while," returned Troy, taking in one last breath of air filled with her scent.

"Same goes for you. I'll miss these moments, being able to look into your blue expression filled eyes, and being in these arms that just seem to get stronger each day," said Gabriella, smiling a little as he chuckled. "You better go."

Troy loosened his hold just enough to step back and kiss Gabriella in the most amazing kiss either had ever shared as this kiss not only etched itself in their mind's memory but also into their very being and soul. "Good-bye Brie, I love you."

"I love you too Troy, I'll miss you," returned Gabriella, no longer bothering to hold back the tears as Troy slowly slipped his arms from around her upper body, where all the hugs had been recently to avoid her still healing injury.

"Me too," murmured Troy, forcing himself to step back. "Go on inside, I want to see you safely in."

Gabriella reluctantly nodded, backing up and turning around to head towards the front doors. "Bye Troy!" called out Gabriella, breathing in deeply as the tears became too much to control. "I love you!"

Troy smiled back. "I love you too! Bye Brie!" returned Troy, smiling more despite his tears as she blew him one last kiss before she closed the huge front doors, disappearing from his view but never his heart.


	40. Chapter 40

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or places created by the High School Musical franchise or by Disney!

Chapter 40

On Tuesday morning, Gabriella opened her eyes as her alarm went off, signaling it was time to get up. She looked around and gave herself time to remind herself that she wasn't in her old home now, that she was now in the royal Copanvy palace, thousands of miles away from the city she liked to think of as her hometown, despite her having lived there for less than a year. 'That's the place where my heart is after all,' thought Gabriella sadly, looking over to her nightstand to see the picture frame of her and the rest of the gang, the same picture and picture frame she gave to everyone on that last day. It was a picture taken in her backyard by Paul that captured the happiness and lighthearted moment they had all been sharing together just before they gathered for the picture.

Gabriella sat herself up in her king sized bed, smiling a little more as she saw Troy's teddy bear next to her. 'I don't think I could ever give up that little guy.'

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, wincing a little as she felt the stitches in her side pull a little but was able to ignore the pain as she walked to her closet that she knew Sharpay and Tessa would totally be envious of for its sheer size and its contents. Gabriella had been surprised when she arrived in her new room the day before and found that the walk in closet already had fashionable clothes in her size hanging from hangers while other items were neatly folded in the many drawers there. She actually had very little room to fit the clothes she preferred to wear.

'Which is exactly what I'm looking for right now,' said Gabriella in her mind as she squatted down to a drawer towards the back and opened it, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a familiar East High white t-shirt with red lettering. After pulling them on, Gabriella went to her private bathroom, which she still thought was absurdly huge. She washed her face and dried it with a nearby towel, not bothering to put any makeup on today but just applied some day cream on her face before applying lotion to her body, careful to avoid putting any over the stitches that no longer had a bandage over them. Gabriella swept her long hair up into a high ponytail and left the bathroom and her room all together to walk towards the breakfast room.

"Morning Princess," greeted Curtis as he fell into step with her.

"Morning Curtis," returned Gabriella, still feeling awkward at hearing herself being called Princess by every servant and security member around the palace. "Where's Paul today?"

"Off with his family. I hope I will do in his place," answered Curtis, staying two steps behind Gabriella at all times.

"Of course," replied Gabriella. "I'm glad he has been able to go and see his family so soon. What of you and yours?"

"My days off will come next week. We thought it best that you have someone familiar at all times for the first few weeks at least," said Curtis.

Gabriella nodded her head as she carefully walked down the stairs, holding onto the railing until she reached the bottom. She looked to her left and then to her right, helplessly looking to Curtis for help.

"To the breakfast room Princess?" asked Curtis.

Gabriella nodded her head and walked in the direction he indicated with his arm, feeling a bit embarrassed at basically being lost in her new home. After a few more doors were passed in various hallways, Curtis finally stepped forward and opened a door for Gabriella to go through.

"Morning Gabriella!" greeted Annette, smiling back at her daughter. "You look like you slept well."

"I did, thank you," replied Gabriella. "Morning Dad."

Gabriella kissed both her parents on the cheeks before taking her seat that was pulled out for her by a servant, shooting her mother a look from across the table as the servant pushed Gabriella's chair in for her.

Annette suppressed a laugh herself as she saw the look cross Gabriella's face while Stephen shook his head. "You'll get used to it," he assured his daughter, taking a bite out of the last sausage on his plate.

The three continued to have a nice breakfast together, exchanging some conversation here and there but mostly eating, especially as Gabriella continued to look around her, trying to get adjusted to her new surroundings. When she was done, she scooted her chair back only to find that it was pulled out for her by the same servant who helped her sit down earlier, giving him a smile as she stood up. "Thank you," she said, seeing the servant just give her a smile before he began to clear her plate and eating utensils from the table.

"What are your plans for today Gabriella?" asked Annette, deciding to distract Gabriella from the servant's actions.

"Umm, I was just going to unpack a little more and maybe see how many times I get lost within these walls," replied Gabriella. "Is there something planned that I should know about?"

Annette looked at Stephen, who shook his head. "Not that we know of sweetie. I'll drop by later to your room to help you settle in more."

Gabriella nodded her head before she exited the breakfast room, silently thanking Curtis for indicating with his head which way to go in order to make it back to her room. Once inside, she gently closed the door and turned around to face her new room, thinking in her head how desperately she needed to decorate the walls with some homier things than the antiques that were currently there. 'Of course, I can't go overboard or the grandparents will flip but I don't think they'd mind a few personal touches,' thought Gabriella as she decided to check her email.

She sat down at her desk and turned on her desktop that had been set up the day before, logging onto her profile and then onto her email account. Gabriella laughed a little as she read an email from Taylor describing Chad's latest antics that drove Taylor crazy, happy to read at the end though that Taylor had accepted Chad's apology the day after. She replied back with her thoughts on the event and sent a picture of her new room that she had taken the day before with the email to let Taylor see a piece of her new life. Next was an email from Tessa, this one being more sentimental as Tessa talked about a dream she had where Gabriella came back to live with her in Tessa's house and they became sisters. 'If only that could be possible Tess.'

Once Gabriella was done with her emails, she got up and started unpacking her carryon, pausing only when she found the scrapbook that the gang had put together and snuck in her bag on Saturday. She sat down on her desk chair and slowly went through it, for what was probably the tenth time since she discovered it in her bag on the plane to Copanvy, taking time to read the personal notes each of the gang had written and pasted into the book along with numerous pictures and quotes that had been captured over the past several months. Gabriella found herself holding back tears again as she reached the last portion of the book that contained letters from Taylor and Tessa individually, hovering over the very last few pages that were dedicated to her and Troy as a couple, with a letter he wrote to her also pasted into the book in a big red heart.

"Hey, why's my beautiful Brie crying?" asked a familiar voice, causing Gabriella to snap her head up, wiping away her tears quickly as she saw Troy's smiling face looking back at her through the monitor.

"Troy!" exclaimed Gabriella, immediately closing the scrapbook and putting it aside as she faced forward towards the computer. "What are you doing up so late?"

Troy shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. I had these amazing images of someone very dear to my heart so I thought I'd see if she was up yet, which you are. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you earlier."

Gabriella let out a little laugh and shook her head. "No, it's okay. I forgot I set up the web camera program to automatically start when I start my computer along with the messaging service. Along with that, I also set it to automatically accept calls. I suppose that's not the best thing huh, since calls come through right away like that?"

"Probably not unless you want the world to be able to dial into your bedroom anytime they want," returned Troy, a mischievous look becoming evident in his eyes.

"Shut up!" replied Gabriella, feeling her heart lift with each laugh the two shared, even if it was over the internet. "How are things back at East High?"

"As good as can be expected, it is school after all Brie," said Troy. "I miss you though, a lot. Ask Chad, I almost cried when I opened my locker this morning and saw all your things missing, not to mention the sweet picture you taped up in the locker for me. It's almost as sweet as the picture collage in the picture frame you had Chad leave on my pillow Saturday night along with your night. Thank you for that Gabriella, it has helped me greatly through the hardest times of missing you."

Gabriella smiled back at him, willing herself to not cry anymore. "Did you like the quote I wrote for you in the letter?"

"Ah yes, Eleanor Roosevelt's 'We gain strength and courage and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… We must do that which we think we cannot.' I agree more so with what you wrote after that, when you said that although both of us may think that we cannot be together now that we both should be confident that our fear of losing each other will not be realized, that my promise to you that I still see is on your finger, will prevail. Very deep Brie," stated Troy, seriousness in his eyes. "It touched me a lot that you still think of us having a future despite us giving each other up for our separate destinies."

"I have to otherwise I'd go crazy Troy," revealed Gabriella. "Our time is just not now. However, as you quoted Eleanor Roosevelt in your letter in the touching scrapbook, 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder', at least I can hope it does and not weaker."

Troy chuckled. "When it comes to you and my heart, the bond will never weaken."

"How I wish I could be in your arms Troy," said Gabriella, wistfulness in her voice.

"I wish I could hold you now too Brie. Trust me, it aches to not be able to but to be able to see your moving image. Thank God for technology!" expressed Troy, giving her another one of his staple grins. "Oh, and I see what mischief Chad was up to in my room Saturday morning. Lifted one of my t-shirts did you?"

Gabriella guiltily looked back at him. "Well this one, yes, plus another one that I don't ever plan to wash to keep your scent and your white East High sweatshirt with your name and number. I didn't know at the time that you were going to give me your letterman jacket otherwise I would have let you keep your sweatshirt."

"Don't worry, I had Paul filch that turquoise sweater of yours with the sparkles on it that you wore the night we met," admitted Troy, holding up the sweater for Gabriella to see.

"Oh I so don't feel bad now! I was looking everywhere for that as I unpacked my clothes yesterday!" exclaimed Gabriella.

"Guess we're even then," replied Troy, grinning as Gabriella's outraged face turned into one of happiness. "Hey, have you watched that DVD yet that I made for you? It was supposed to have been slipped in with the scrapbook from the gang."

Gabriella shook her head. "Let me go check, one sec."

She went over to where her carryon bag was on her bed and dug through until she found it. She took it out of its case and popped it into the DVD player hooked up to the flat screen on the wall, next to her desk. Gabriella sat back down in front of the computer as a menu came up with only one option, a background picture of her and Troy together at Troy's house. "Do you want me to play it now?"

"Sure," agreed Troy. "I'd actually be happy to see your reaction."

Gabriella shot him a questioning look but pressed play on the remote as she backed up a little so she could better see the screen. Instantly, she felt tears prick her eyes again as she started to hear a soft melody as pictures of Troy and Gabriella together began appearing on the screen, starting with one she didn't even know existed from their singing together at the ski lodge. Eventually, Troy's deep yet smooth voice could be heard singing:

_Oceans apart day after day  
And I slowly go insane  
I hear your voice on the line  
But it doesn't stop the pain _

If I see you next to never  
How can we say forever

Wherever you go  
Whatever you do  
I will be right here waiting for you  
Whatever it takes  
Or how my heart breaks  
I will be right here waiting for you

I took for granted, all the times  
That I thought would last somehow  
I hear the laughter, I taste the tears  
But I can't get near you now

Oh, can't you see it baby  
You've got me goin' crazy

Wherever you go  
Whatever you do  
I will be right here waiting for you  
Whatever it takes  
Or how my heart breaks  
I will be right here waiting for you

I wonder how we can survive  
This romance  
But in the end if I'm with you  
I'll take the chance  


_Oh can't you see it baby  
You've got me goin' crazy_

_  
Wherever you go  
Whatever you do  
I will be right here waiting for you  
Whatever it takes  
Or how my heart breaks  
I will be right here waiting for you  
Waiting for you_

Gabriella was in total tears at the end, seeing one last picture of the two of them together, looking each other in the eyes as they stared at one another, looking content to be in each other's arms before the screen faded, returning to the menu. She took in several deep breaths and wiped her face before she turned to look back at Troy who had a small smile on his face now.

"Did you like it?" he asked, almost shyly.

"I loved it," replied Gabriella, smiling despite her tears that were now drying. "It made me miss you even more than I already do but it is also a beautiful salute to our relationship, to our love. You didn't write that song did you?"

Troy shook his head. "No, I just recorded it quickly with Kelsi's help. Ever since our trip to Hawaii, I knew our day of separation would come and I discovered the song while searching the internet for an appropriate song to try to prepare for you. I had actually just recorded it after some rehearsing with Kelsi at school just a few weekends ago. I never imagined then that I would have to use it so soon. Oh, and before I forget and they kill me, Taylor and Tessa both helped me put the pictures together. They told me to tell you that I win boyfriend points again for this."

Gabriella laughed a little. "I'd have to agree with that. Thank you Troy, that song really is just so appropriate right now. We are such a good distance apart but I think each of us feel that one another will always be with each other, waiting for each other if we can help it."

"I agree. Oh, the song is called "Right Here Waiting" and is originally done by Richard Marx I believe. Kind of extends upon my sentiments I said when I gave you the promise ring those weeks ago," commented Troy.

Gabriella nodded her agreement. "Thank you so much Troy. That was probably one of the best presents you could have given me, truly. God, how do you come up with all these amazing gifts for me?"

"I think with the heart and my mind does the rest," answered Troy truthfully.

Just then, Gabriella heard a knock on the door before she heard the door open. "Hold on Troy," she said quickly, muting the sound on her desktop, before turning her attention to who she thought was going to be her mother, surprised that it was instead her grandmother, known to non-family members as Queen Lauren. "Good morning Grandmother."

Gabriella immediately stood up and walked over to her grandmother to kiss her on the cheek, as she had been informed by Annette would be expected each time she saw her grandmother. "Good morning Gabriella. Why aren't you dressed yet and what are those awful clothes you have on?"

Gabriella looked down at her sweats and East High t-shirt before she looked back at her grandmother. "Sweats and a favorite t-shirt?"

Lauren shook her head, tsking as she did so. "This is just simply unacceptable for a princess Gabriella, I would have expected your mother to have taught you better. We will just have to work on that, shall we? Now, we have a little luncheon with some very influential families in just half an hour down in the gardens. I expect you to be on time and wearing respectable clothes. I will send in your maid to pick out your clothes and to help you dress. You must remember now Gabriella, you no longer just represent yourself but the entire royal family of Copanvy. There are a number of people I am expecting, some of the most eligible bachelors in this country as well that I want to introduce you to. I expect nothing but the best from you Gabriella."

Gabriella bit her lip a little harder when she heard the part about the eligible bachelors, suppressing the need to groan. "Yes Grandmother, I will do my best not to disgrace you."

"Good. Now off with you!" said Lauren, turning around and leaving her granddaughter's room in search for the maid she had picked out late last week for her only grandchild.

Once the door was safely closed, Gabriella groaned and unmuted the speakers before she sat back down. "I guess I have to go, I'm sorry Troy," stated Gabriella, sorrow evident in her eyes.

Troy sighed. "It's bound to happen. You have a new life now, one much different from any other new lives you had when you moved before. Some social event where you'll meet high society families with their eligible bachelor sons, huh?"

Gabriella heard the tinge of jealousy in Troy's voice and shook her head. "You have nothing to be jealous about Troy. They aren't going to sweep me off my feet and make me forget all about you. You're too deep in my heart and soul for that, you should know that."

Troy reluctantly nodded his head. "I do, but it still hurts though thinking that you are free to date them should you choose."

"Well this girl chooses not to," replied Gabriella, sighing again as she heard the door open and saw who she assumed was her personal maid enter the room and immediately duck into her closet. "I guess I have to go. I'll talk to you later?"

"Sure," agreed Troy. "And Brie?"

"What?" asked Gabriella, sitting back down in her seat.

"I love you," stated Troy, smiling a little at the camera.

"I love you too," replied Gabriella, blowing him a kiss before she disconnected the session. She adjusted her settings to no longer automatically accept calls before she got up and looked at the clothes that were laid out for her on her bed. 'Sharpay would love these but will I?'

She stood awkwardly as Philippa, as she learned her personal maid was named, dressed her before doing Gabriella's hair, leaving Gabriella with time to think as her hair was pulled out of her ponytail to be curled and styled, most likely to how her grandmother wanted it.

'Well, you're in it now Gabriella, a whole new life as Troy put it, about to have your first official royal event. I wish Tessa, Taylor, Sharpay, and all the rest of them were here, especially Troy,' thought Gabriella, letting out a wishful sigh. 'Troy, what are we really going to do about us, about our love? There really is so much space and time that is between us now and will continue to be between us. Can we really make this work in the end?'

Gabriella got up and followed Philippa out of her room once she was done, letting herself think one last thing before she faced her new world. 'Life has shown you what can happen with just a slight twist of fate, maybe all your heart's dreams and wishes will come true with just a little more time.'

With that, Gabriella put her best smile and face on as they reached the huge glass doors that led to the extravagant backyard and stepped out into this new world, her identity instantly changing from being Gabriella Montez, a normal teenage girl, to being Princess Gabriella Felicia Anna Lauren Montez of Copanvy.

**The End**… _for now…_


End file.
